The Way You Want
by Phoenixblade84
Summary: A monster clad in smoke shall start with nearly nothing, Only to begin anew by sacrificing. Hiding in plain sight, He shall play the part of her knight. She shall accept his truth, And together they spend their youth. With friends he shall get stronger, Only to realize that he is still but a monster. Weiss X OC
1. Chapter 1

_"Happy birthday Miss Schnee!" a six year old boy with raven black hair greeted a white haired girl the same age as he. She was currently walking around town with her father, sister, and numerous noblemen and women. "I hope the rest of your days are happy ones."_

 _The birthday girl stared at the boy that just greeted her. His dirty external was appalling to say the least. His rags for clothes were covered in dirt, as was his skin. However, the one thing that set the people around her off the most were the pair of wings protruding from the boy's back._

 _"What a dirty Faunus," she heard people say._

 _"How dare that thing even speak to Miss Schnee," another nobleman added._

 _She was too young to understand why they hated the Faunus so much, but she knew that if she didn't act like them, then her father's reputation would take a rather large hit. That was one thing that she didn't want the most._

 _"Guards!" she yelled. Half a dozen men in suits came to her aid. Each stared at the Faunus boy before picking him up rather forcefully and tossing him to the nearest alley as if he was trash._

 _The humans who witnessed the scene did nothing but scoff at the gall of the idiotic Faunus boy who tried to greet a Schnee._

 _The Faunus, on the other hand, decided to act on it. Dozens of them filled the street and surrounded the nobility and their bodyguards. In a flash of a moment, chaos ensued._

 _The bodyguards did everything they could to protect the nobles, but fear played against them. A few nobles ran away only to be caught by a few Faunus. To be fair to the guards, they were to prioritize the Schnee's, especially the young heiress._

 _In the midst of everything, the heiress was pushed out of the protective circle of the guards. A few Faunus noticed the little girl and tossed her onto the streets, and into on coming traffic. A crazed Faunus drove full speed towards the tiny Schnee._

 _She may have been too young to realize the severity of what was happening, but a strange fear built up within her._

 _A pair of arms enveloped her as well as the shadow of a wing._

* * *

It was just any other day at Beacon academy. Classes are… interesting. Professor Peter Port's classes are uneventful since the old professor never teaches, but instead rambles on about his numerous excursions against the creatures of Grimm.

Yang Xiao Long, Jaune Arc, Ruby Rose, and Nora Valkyrie are all asleep as usual.

Lie Ren and Pyrrha Nikos paid attention to the rambling professor in hopes that they might learn something that they could implement out on the field… or just out of respect, either one.

Blake Belladonna continued to read the seventh installment of her beloved _Ninja's of Love_ series, completely blocking out the outside world.

Weiss Schnee, strangely enough, merely stared out the window in deep thought, her eyes blank as if she was looking at something that isn't there.

"Can anyone tell me what Grimm has the weakest bones?" Professor Port asked his class, taking a break from his story telling. Ten seconds passed by and no one was willing to give so much as just a guess. "How about you Miss Schnee?"

The white haired heiress gave no response; she hadn't even noticed that the professor called her name. "Miss Schnee?"

Calling her a second time gave results. Weiss was forced out of her _out of body_ state, directing her attention towards the professor.

"Sorry Professor Port," she quickly apologized. "Can you repeat that one more time?"

"I asked what Grimm has the weakest bones," the professor complied.

"Nevermores, sir."

"Excellent Miss Schnee. Can you also tell the class why is it that even though it has the weakest bones, there might be problem dealing with one?"

"It's because of their ability to fly, tough feathers, and thick hide. Normal bullets would just bounce of the feathers and should someone be lucky enough to get one between the gaps of the feathers, it would do nothing to the hide. The only known bullets that can take one down are high caliber rounds and full metal jacket rounds like the ones Miss Coco Adel uses."

"Well done Miss Schnee. I expect nothing less from you."

With that the professor continued his story, or rather transitioned into another time when he 'effortlessly took down an unkindness of Nevermores with nothing more than a makeshift hatchet.' Weiss didn't remain focused on the teacher for long. She diverted her attention back to the windows and drowned out the class once again as a sigh escaped her lips.

Unbeknownst to her, a certain cat Faunus caught on to her strange actions.

After an hour, Professor Port's class ended with the joy of the students, and starting their lunch break. Group by group the students exited the classroom, Weiss being behind everyone else, with a distracted look still on her face. Blake walked up to the girl, trying to grab her attention.

"Weiss are you alright?" the disguised Faunus asked. The heiress barely acknowledged her. Weiss let out a sigh before answering, though still out of it.

"I'm fine, Blake. Just a little tired, I guess."

"Weiss, 'a little tired' is one thing. But that's not what you are. You're thinking of something important."

"Am I that obvious?" Weiss asked Blake with a worried expression. The remaining two of the team called for them, but Blake waved them off, telling them to go on ahead.

"What's the matter Weiss? This isn't like you."

"I know…" Weiss looked around to see if they someone else other than Blake was within earshot. When they were in the clear, she turned to her teammate. "Promise to keep a secret?"

"Of course," Blake assured. Weiss took a breath, gathering her courage.

"Today's my birthday," the heiress confessed. The statement confused Blake.

 _Why would that be a thing that Weiss wanted to keep a secret? Moreover, why is she so dejected because of that?_

"Happy birthday then," Blake said in more of a question than a statement.

"Thanks," Weiss said still with a dejected expression and tone of voice.

"But why would that be something you'd want to keep secret? Shouldn't we be celebrating?"

"No!" Weiss declined in a hurry. "No. That's not what I mean. It's just that every year since I was seven years old, I've always celebrated my birthday with a personal butler that my father assigned to me."

"That is until you started to attend Beacon?" Blake guessed. The heiress could only nod. "Do you miss him?"

"Yeah, I guess I do. I know that after everything that I've said about Faunus, I probably don't have the right to ask this, but please Blake. Don't tell anyone about this, especially Yang."

"Sure Weiss. I promise."

"Thanks teammate," she said with a ghost of a smile forming upon her lips. "Now let's go. We have to catch up with the others."

Weiss started to walk out, but Blake didn't take one step from her position. A thought suddenly occurred to her.

"Weiss, why not just ask your father to send him here? At least for your birthday?"

Surprisingly, Weiss answered almost immediately, without an ounce of deceit in her voice, and without an ounce of embarrassment. A longing smile formed itself on the white haired girl.

"Because if he comes here, I don't think I'd ever allow him to go back."

The answer shocked Blake. After declining the leader of Team JNPR countless of times before, she assumed that Weiss had no plans of even interacting with the opposite sex at all. However, more than anything else, she had never seen such a smile on Weiss Schnee.

"Wouldn't you be happy though?"

"Of course I would be, but he's currently been reassigned to my sister, Winter. Even if I wanted him to come, that's out of the question for now."

The smile of the heiress never disappeared even if her eyes gave away the loneliness she's feeling.

"Alright, let's go before the two sisters take our ice cream cups," Weiss pointed out. "Oh and Blake? Thanks for listening. I needed that."

"No problem Weiss." The two of them made their way to the cafeteria, with Weiss imagining the 'what ifs' of her butler attending Beacon with her. All the while Blake was constantly staring at her teammate's satisfied smile.

* * *

"I knew they would take it," Weiss said with a sigh. She and Blake sat down with Ruby and Yang, and Team JNPR, both looking at the four empty ice cream cups on their teammates' tray, but ate without saying anything else until they finished. "I understand why Ruby would take it, but you Yang? I expected you'd be beyond petty theft, especially from a teammate."

"Sorry, Ice Queen," the brawler responded, a very satisfied smile plastered on to her face. "Just couldn't help myself. Besides, it was your guys' fault for taking so long."

"I don't even understand why'd the staff allow you to take them," Blake said quietly.

"We kinda told them that you guys told us that we could take them," the red-cloaked leader answered, refusing to meet anyone's eyes. "Sorry. It's just that it looked so good, and you've always known that I had a sweet tooth. I mean sure, I mainly prefer cookies, but sweets are sweets, you know?"

"Ruby?" at the call of her name, the fifteen year old made the mistake of looking up. Weiss glared at her leader, demanding the truth. Within a few seconds, she broke.

"Yang tempted me," she admitted looking at the floor ashamed. Ashamed for taking her partner's ice cream, and ashamed that she had sold out her own sister. All eyes landed on Yang.

"Ruby, you traitor!" Yang said with a mock surprised tone of voice. She had already expected that her sister would break.

"I'm sorry Weiss," Ruby said ignoring her sister. The heiress could only sigh at the childish behavior of her partner.

"It's alright Ruby. You are forgiven."

Everyone but Blake stared in shock at the white haired girl. She stared back at them with confusion. Ruby suddenly stood up.

"Yang, get medicine," Ruby went commando and started handing out orders.

"On it," Yang responded before rushing out of the cafeteria and towards the nurse's office.

"Jaune, oolong tea. Stat."

The boy was already up and headed towards the kitchen.

"Blake, tell Doctor Oobleck and Professor Goodwitch that Weiss can't attend class today."

The Faunus didn't move, finding the event ridiculous, but amusing nonetheless. Ruby rushed to the side of her partner and placed her hand on Weiss' forehead. Weiss, who barely had time to catch on, finally understood what was happening.

"I'm not sick you dolt!" she protested, but unfortunately went unheard. "Is it so strange that I feel like forgiving you that easily?"

"Yes," the entire table with the exception of Blake immediately responded.

"It's my birthday, so forgive me for being a bit more forgiving today than usual."

Silence took over the entire table. Jaune soon came out of the kitchen, oolong tea in hand. A few moments later, Yang came bursting out of the door, medicine bottle in hand. The two converged at the table and held out whatever they were sent out to get.

"False alarm guys," Ruby confirmed. Taking a breath, she shouted something else. "Whiskey Bravo Delta!"

The two blondes nodded, understanding what she meant.

"Ren. Nora," Jaune called out. The green clad boy and bubbly girl nodded and stood up, together they sped towards the kitchen.

"Pyrrha," Yang herself called out. Receiving a nod from the warrior before they sped towards the rooms of Teams RWBY and JNPR.

Only Weiss and Blake were confused. Both turned to their leader as if expecting an explanation of what had just occurred. Ruby only smiled innocently at them.

Within the next few minutes, Jaune, Ren, and Nora comes out of the kitchen, wheeling out a birthday cake – Oum knows how they got it done so fast – with letters spelling out 'Happy Birthday Weiss S.' When they reached the table, the remaining three girls stared at the words in confusion.

"We ran out of frosting," Jaune admitted moving his eyes towards Nora's direction. They stared at Nora who sat there with a little frosting at the corner of her mouth.

Pyrrha and Yang enter the cafeteria again and made their way to the table.

"Alright," Pyrrha announced first. "We have reservations for a certain restaurant tonight at seven."

"RTX?" Ruby asked for confirmation.

"You know it."

"Then later on," Yang took her turn to announce. "We're gonna go to Junior's Club for our more recreational fun."

"Aren't we too young to go to a club?" Blake asked, staring at her partner as if seeing her in a new light.

"Don't worry," Yang reassured her. "They don't sell just alcoholic drinks there."

"Guys," Weiss said with a sigh. Her dejected expression from earlier was apparent once more. "Thanks, but I really just want to spend today as peaceful as can be."

"What's wrong Weiss?" Ruby asked out of concern for her partner. "You seem sad."

Weiss only shook her head at her, and responded with nothing more.

"Weiss," Blake raised her voice, filled with concern. "How about at least a video conference?"

Everyone, but Weiss were confused about Blake's suggestion, and it only grew as Weiss' face grew brighter at it.

Quickly pulling out her scroll, Weiss swiped through her contact list until she landed on 'Winter Schnee'. As the call started to connect, the remaining seven got behind her to be part of the call.

An image appeared on the screen. Weiss' sister appeared on the screen wearing a bright smile.

"Hello sister," Winter greeted. "As well as to your friends."

"Good afternoon Winter," Weiss greeted back. "I sure hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Nonsense. I was just about to call you, but Father called Ash out earlier. I thought it would be nice to say 'Happy Birthday' with him."

"It's quite alright sister," Weiss said, hiding the small disappointment that steadily grew within her.

"I hope that you're doing well there at Beacon."

"I am, albeit a bit lonely from time to time."

"Like today," Ruby's small and meek voice rang out, earning her a glare from Weiss.

"What's the matter dear sister?" Winter asked concerned. "It's your birthday. You should be anything but lonely. After all, you've your friends with you."

"It's not that Winter," the younger Schnee looked away with a disheartened expression. "I just miss having you here on my birthday."

"You mean me _and Ash_?" she asked with a smile. "You can't lie to me Weiss, even if you lie to yourself. I remember you protesting to not start your sixteenth birthday party until he was present."

"Winter!" Weiss cried out in protest. Her friends all looked at her with mischievous grins, already knowing what to ask for after the video call.

"Don't worry Weiss. Our project here is nearly over. Ash is still contracted as your personal butler, so he might attend Beacon with you – depending on Father's mood."

The idea both filled her with excitement and dread. Excitement that her butler will be attending Beacon with her as maybe a possible fifth team member. Dread that Yang will have unlimited ammunition to use against her should the idea become reality.

Winter looked up as a door opened on her side.

"Miss Schnee," an unknown masculine voice called out. "A report for you ma'am."

"A report?" Winter asked as she reached out for said report. "I wasn't expecting a report until next week."

"It's a report from your father ma'am," the employee answered.

"From Father?" Winter quickly reviewed the paper, a smile forming and growing larger as she read. "I see. Very well, you may go."

The door closed and Winter returned her attention back to her sister and her friends.

"What did Father have to report?" Weiss asked curiously. "It's unusual for him to do so."

"It's a surprise dear sister," Winter's smile slightly unnerved Weiss, but decided to let the issue go. "I'm sorry to have to end our call here Weiss, but duty calls."

"I understand," Weiss said, trying to hide her disappointment. "It was really good to see you Winter."

"You as well sister," Winter said with her sisterly affection apparent from her voice. "Have yourself a happy birthday Weiss. And I expect you all to make sure that she does."

"Yes ma'am," they all said smiling. And with that, Winter ended the call. Everyone was quiet for a time, as Weiss slowly rubbed her scroll that had her sister's image on it.

"So Weiss," Yang said, breaking the silence. "Who exactly is this 'Ash' character?"

"Wouldn't you like to know, Xiao Long," the heiress countered with a smile. "He's a friend."

"Sounds more like a _boyfriend_ to me," Ruby slowly treaded on the thin ice. She expected to receive the usual death gaze from her partner, but it never appeared. Instead, an angelic smile graced her.

"He's a personal butler that my father assigned to me when I was seven," Weiss explained. "He's been with me ever since."

"And along the way, you developed a crush on him," Yang said crossing her arms and nodding. "I see where you're coming from Ice Queen. But I thought it isn't possible for the princess to fall for a servant."

"This isn't a work of fiction Yang," Weiss explained to her flirtatious teammate. "It's a lot more common than you would think, but this situation is different. I don't love him, I merely appreciate all that he's done for me."

"I wonder how many is that," Yang muttered jokingly. Apparently, the heiress didn't see it as one.

"Too many for anyone in the world to count," she responded. "Anything and everything I asked him to do, he'd do it without question."

"Seems like he's spoiled you," Nora said, with nothing but pure honesty in her voice.

"He promised that he would in place of the absence of my father. But it wasn't just that. When I told him that I wanted to be a Huntress, he'd practice on his own till the dead of night so that I could have a decent training partner. As long as he thought it would help me, he'd do it even at the cost of his health. The idiot."

"That's love Weiss," Jaune spoke up. The other nodded in agreement.

"That's love alright," Ren agreed.

"Can't be anything else," Blake added.

"Have you guys ever thought of duty?" Weiss argued. The others only stared at her as if waiting for 'Just kidding.' It never came, and they simply shook their heads.

"That's exactly why I call you 'Ice Queen'," Yang explained. "That is just cold."

"Why is it that romance is all that goes through your head?" Weiss asked the brawler. "If it's not fighting, then it's romance."

"That's not something you could use as an argument here Weiss," Ruby tried to join in. "It's the only logical thing to think."

"You should listen to yourself," Weiss argued back. "Since when have you been one to use logic?"

With that, the fifteen year old retired from the argument making only a single remark.

"Oh come on Weiss," Yang said smiling. "Your boy toy may not like you anymore if he saw you acting this way."

"Actually," an unknown voice made itself known. Everyone turned towards the voice, and Weiss' eyes opened wide in surprise. "I prefer to be called 'butler.'"


	2. This Is An Order

"Actually," an unknown voice made itself known. Everyone turned towards the voice, and Weiss' eyes opened wide in surprise. "I prefer to be called 'butler.'"

A young man with slightly darker skin than Ruby, and slightly unruly raven black hair, swept a little over his left eye stood there with a rectangular box in gift-wrap. He stood a little taller than Weiss, and was dressed in a formal suit and all, with a pair of black gloves covering his hands. His lips formed a small smile when he saw the surprised expression of his mistress.

"Ash!" Weiss exclaimed excitedly, shocking the students inside the cafeteria due to the out of character act by Weiss Schnee.

"Happy birthday Miss Schnee," Ash bowed before walking towards the group. "I hope this gift is satisfactory."

He handed her the box, only for her to put it down on the table before getting up to hug the boy – another action that shocked the students in the vicinity, especially her friends – a hug that he was more than happy to return. When they released each other from the embrace, the butler took a step back and got on one knee. Weiss stuck out her right hand and Ash gently took it into his hand and kissed it. The gesture turned Weiss' cheeks slightly pink.

"Uh guys?" Yang coughed uncomfortably. "This would be around the time for introductions. That and the people around us are taking pictures."

At her sentence, the butler produced a pale gold crystal from his pocket and threw it at the middle of the room. A miniscule electrical shock ran through everyone in the room along with the complete force shutdown of their scrolls. Ash stood up and smiled at his mistress, who only shook her head.

"What was that?" Blake asked, her feline senses feeling the electricity more than her friends.

"A Dust crystal that releases an electromagnetic pulse within a small range," Ash answered innocently.

"But last I checked, there wasn't anything like that," Weiss said to her butler, confusion apparent in her voice. "Moreover, Dust crystals are of bright natural colors. That wasn't anything like that at all."

"Well done Miss Schnee," Ash praised, causing the others to roll their eyes, but Weiss on the other hand looked like she couldn't be any happier. "The project that Miss Winter is currently working on is based around the theory that crystalizing a combination of different Dust may produce a different effect. That was one of the first crystals that was tested, and one that we are now able to mass produce."

"Guys," Yang called attention to her once again. "Introductions still."

Weiss stood in front of Ash and properly introduced him.

"Everyone, this is Ash Valentine. He's the personal butler that my father assigned to me."

"Anything that Miss Schnee wants, she only needs to ask," Ash added.

"Anything?" Yang asked with yet another mischievous grin forming upon her lips. "Even if she asks you to dive in to lava?"

Yang may have meant it to be a joke, but the meaning was not able to reach the boy.

"Should she desire it, I shall fulfill it."

"How about if she gets lonely at night, and needs someone sleeping with her?"

The question earned the brawler an icy death glare from the heiress, but like before, the meaning of the question was not able to reach the butler.

"She needs only to ask."

"Anyway!" Weiss interrupted before her shameless teammate could ask any more questions. "These are my… friends."

"Miss Ruby Rose," Ash started, stopping his mistress from saying any more. "Leader of Team RWBY. Admitted into Beacon two years early due to the headmaster, Ozpin, witnessing her feat of stopping a robbery committed by the infamous Roman Torchwick. Weapon is a modified scythe with a built in high caliber sniper rifle named Crescent Rose. Semblance is speed."

The red-cloaked leader stared at the person in front of her, shocked that he knew a lot about her despite never meeting each other before.

"Miss Blake Belladonna, age seventeen. Weapon is a blade that morphs into a handgun with a sheath that _is_ another blade of a cleaver like nature, allowing her to wield them both for additional aggressive attack behavior. Also tied to her by the ribbons on her forearms allowing for near unpredictable attack patterns. A Variant Ballistic Chain Scythe she calls Gambol Shroud. Semblance is shadow."

"Hiding a secret from everyone but those close to her," he added in a very discreet voice, causing the Faunus to stiffen. "Secret's safe with me, Miss Belladonna."

"Miss Yang Xiao Long, age seventeen; sister to Miss Rose. Known deviant, even going as far as trashing Hei Xiong Jr.'s club in search of a person. Weapon is a pair of cuffs that morph into gauntlets that harbor shotguns, allowing her to deal additional damage with every hit, should she choose to. Weapon she named Ember Celica. Semblance allows her to draw strength from any damage dealt to her."

"Known for her flirtatious nature around the school," he added, eyeing her up and down. In a discreet voice he added another comment. "Despite never being with a single person in her life."

It was now Yang's turn to stiffen as her friends stared at her in shock. Her cheeks were stained pink as the butler continued the introduction.

"Mister Jaune Arc, age seventeen. Leader of Team JNPR. Unknown to most, his aura was recently unlocked by Miss Pyrrha Nikos. Weapon of choice is a sword and shield that doubles as a sheath for the sword. A weapon his great-great-grandfather used in the Great War. Weapon's name is Crocea Mors. Semblance is unknown."

"Like Miss Belladonna," the butler added quietly. "Also harbors a secret. Secret's safe with me as well Mister Arc."

"Miss Pyrrha Nikos, age seventeen and champion of Mistral; undefeated for now. Used to be a student at Sanctum Academy. Weapon of choice is Miló, a sword that can morph into a rifle and javelin, which she can throw with great precision. As well as Akoúo̱, a shield that she's able to throw as an offensive weapon. Semblance is polarity, explaining how she's able to throw her shield only for it to come back to her."

"Miss Nora Valkyrie, age seventeen; long time friend to Mister Lie Ren. Weapon of choice is a hammer that doubles as a grenade launcher. Miss Valkyrie's sheer strength allows her to wield the weapon easily, in a… playful fashion. Terrifying, truly."

The butler's last statement caused the energetic girl to blush lightly. The others stared at her not knowing whether or not they should be worried.

"Weapon's name is Magnhild. Semblance allows her to channel electricity to her muscles, giving her even greater strength."

"Mister Lie Ren, age seventeen, and long time friend to Miss Nora Valkyrie. Weapon of choice is a pair of fully automatic machine pistols with blades at the bottom for close quarters combat, dubbed StormFlower. However, even without StormFlower, his high degree of mastery of Aura allows him to fight with no added difficulty."

Ash Valentine bowed to all of them.

"It's nice to meet you all."

"How do you know so much about us?" Jaune asked the Schnee butler.

"According to Master Schnee," Ash relayed. "As Miss Schnee's personal butler, I must be well informed with the people around her."

"That hardly matters right now," Weiss argued. "Why are you here? I didn't think Father would allow you."

"I asked your father if I could visit you even if only for your birthday Miss Schnee," he answered with a small smile. Yang, Ruby, and Nora cooed at the butler's answer.

"However, he admitted me into Beacon instead of just letting me visit."

"So then that means that you're a student of Beacon now?" Pyrrha asked, noticing the look of bewilderment.

"That is until Miss Schnee herself orders me to drop out," the butler said as his smile disappeared.

"I will never tell you to do so Ash," Weiss assured him. Ash smiled at her.

"I appreciate it Miss Schnee, but please do keep the option open."

"Why?" Ruby asked her partner's butler. He turned to her, wearing no expression. "Do you not like Beacon?"

"Oh please do not misunderstand Miss Rose, but I do not belong here. Being a Hunter is not my goal. I am simply here because I wish to stay with my mistress."

Everyone in the group, with the exception Ren, Nora, and Weiss flushed at the word 'mistress.' Ren knew what the butler meant. Nora simply didn't care. And Weiss was simply used to the butler calling her his 'mistress.'

"Did I say something wrong?" the butler asked, worried about the five people that reacted so negatively towards his answer.

"No," Yang quickly answered, pinching her nostrils together for some odd reason. "No. We're just not used to someone calling Ice Queen here 'mistress.'"

"'Ice Queen?'" the nickname confused the butler. "Oh you mean my mistress. Yes, Miss Winter told me about this."

"Ash," Blake raised her voice. She as well was pinching her nostrils together. "Please, for the sake of our blood, don't call her 'mistress' any more. If you are to call her anything, 'Weiss' will do."

"Don't mind them Ash," Weiss assured him. "They simply can't get their heads out of the gutter."

"I see, but you don't mind do you Miss Schnee?"

"I'm fine with it, but it might be better if you refrain from calling me 'mistress,' for the time being anyway."

"I understand Miss Schnee. It seems that your friends are more innocent than the report let on."

"Speaking of which, who wrote that report Ash?"

Ash took out a scroll from his pocket and maneuvered stiffly through the icons presented to him, utterly confused. Weiss let out a sigh and held out her hand and Ash handed her the scroll. She found the report within seconds and skimmed through it.

"'Glynda Goodwitch!'" she exclaimed as she found the author of the report. "Miss Goodwitch wrote this report?!"

"Yes, I've met Glynda several times in the past, so I asked her for some information."

"What's going on here?" the voice of Glynda Goodwitch asked the group. "Mister Ash Valentine?"

"Glynda, how do you do?" the butler greeted.

"Mister Valentine, as you are now a student of Beacon, you will refer to me as Miss Goodwitch or something of the sort."

"I understand Miss Goodwitch."

"All right, now, why in the world are the five you pinching your noses? Playing truth or dare can be done in your rooms, but not in the cafeteria."

"They simply mistook my meaning when I called Miss Schnee 'my mistress.'

The professor's face immediately turned the color of Ruby's cloak, and, like her students, pinched her nostrils together.

"Mister Valentine, please report to Ozpin at once. There are still some documents that we need you to sign. As for the rest of you, please finish up whatever it is that you're doing. My class is next. I'll see you all there."

"Miss Schnee?" Ash called. Weiss looked over at him, as his eyes asked for her permission.

"You may go," she dismissed him. He walked away, following the flustered professor to the headmaster's office.

"Does he ask you for permission every time?" Pyrrha asked the heiress. She only nodded as she watched her butler walk away.

"Only me," she added. "Whenever it's either Father or Winter, he never asks. He is assigned specifically to me."

"I know this may seem late," Ren started. "But how old is he?"

"He's the same age as us."

"Then that means that he became your butler at an early age?"

"Yes. Father thought that it would be a good thing to have some company around my age."

"Then he took the same Hunter training as you?" Ruby asked, letting her nose go as she felt her blood go back to normal.

"No," Weiss answered her, trying to remember the events around that time. "Father had him train as a bodyguard, not a Hunter. As far as I know, he's never held a weapon in his hand. That's one of the reasons why I decided to go to Beacon alone, even with his protests against it."

"I thought his motto is 'Anything Miss Schnee says is law,'" Yang reminded her. Weiss' face contorted as she tried to form a response.

"That doesn't mean he doesn't have his own opinion Yang. It's because of that 'motto' of his that he couldn't say anything else. He soon gave up, but up till I left, the disapproval was apparent every time I saw him."

"Why were you so against it in the first place?" Nora asked the heiress. "I don't see why it would be a problem."

"Well for one, he never trained as a Hunter before."

"Neither did Jaune," Ruby pointed out.

"Arc, did you have _any_ Hunter training before?" Weiss asked. The blonde boy nodded slightly.

"My dad trained me a little."

"Exactly," Weiss said, as if she made her point. "Ash is trained for fighting against other people. He's never had to deal with Grimm before. And besides, my second reason is that for once, I want to be the one to protect him."

"You're in love with him!" Yang exclaimed, earning the attention of the student population.

"Will you be quiet you dunce?" Weiss countered. "Don't get the wrong the idea. Anyway, lets go. It's almost time for class."

* * *

Students have gathered in the classroom, but Miss Goodwitch was almost ten minutes late.

"I wonder what's taking so long," Yang openly asked. "I wanna fight against someone already."

"Speak for yourself," Jaune told her. "I think I can wait before Cardin wipes the floor with me once again."

"You'll be fine Jaune," Pyrrha assured her partner, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Just remember your training with me."

Even with the reassurance of his partner, Jaune let out a sigh of frustration.

"Students settle down," Miss Goodwitch commanded as she entered the room with Ash trailing behind her. "I apologize for the wait."

"Honestly, who sends a boy here without even a weapon," Miss Goodwitch muttered, with only Ash within earshot.

"I apologize for the inconvenience," he responded. Miss Goodwitch looked at the boy, letting out a sigh of frustration.

"Take your seat Mister Valentine."

Ash scanned the room for his mistress, and saw her waving her hand in the air for him. He made his way towards her and sat beside her causing the heiress to lightly blush for a second before realizing that her friends were all staring at her reddening cheeks.

"All right students," Miss Goodwitch called out. "Let's start the class with a duel. Who'd like to go first?"

Before Yang can even raise her hand, Cardin Winchester raised his.

"Why not start with the new kid, Miss Goodwitch?" he suggested with a smug grin plastered on his face.

"Interesting suggestion Mister Winchester," she responded knowing what he wanted, and so she amused him. "Are you willing to be Mister Valentine's opponent?"

"Sure, I don't mind."

"Miss Goodwitch," Weiss raised her voice despite the disagreement of every fiber of her being. "I don't understand why—"

"Miss Schnee," Miss Goodwitch interrupted her. "Let me remind you that I'm here to make sure that no one gets hurt in this class."

"But he doesn't even have a—" Weiss argued once again, only to be interrupted by the teacher again.

'Then are you willing to let him borrow yours?"

"I will be fine Miss Schnee," Ash said, putting his hand on hers for reassurance. Staring at him, Weiss could do nothing but sit down and trust in him. The two combatants made their way to the front of the class.

Ash took out a single black glove from his pocket and replaced the one on his left hand. When he took the glove off the first thing that Weiss saw was the numerous scars on it.

"What happened to his hand?" Blake asked Weiss. The white haired girl only shook her head.

"I don't know," she admitted. "I never managed to gather the courage to ask."

Ash put on the spare glove which Pyrrha immediately took note of.

"What with that glove?" she asked. "It has metal on the back. It's more like a gauntlet."

"Oh yeah," Ruby agreed. "Is there something special about it?"

"Unfortunately no," Weiss answered, her voice full of worry. "That's simply just it. As I said earlier, Ash has never held a weapon before."

"Then," Yang said jokingly, but at the same time seriously. "I'm sorry to say this Weiss, but your boyfriend is about to get his _Ash_ handed to him."

"Really not the time sis," Ruby said glaring at her sister. "There's has to be a way for him to win, right Weiss?"

"According to Winter," Weiss told them. "Ash is only trained in hand to hand combat, just in case he decides to rebel one day."

"Trust issues much?" Ruby asked, completely losing faith in their new friend's chances of winning.

"More specifically," Weiss continued, ignoring her partner. "Disarming and countering. That's precisely why I didn't want Ash to follow me to Beacon. Against Grimm, his only means of attack is useless."

"But he's not fighting Grimm right now," Jaune pointed out. "He's up against a human, something he's trained to combat."

"I can only hope its enough Jaune," Weiss admitted. Meanwhile, Jaune was celebrating that Weiss had finally called him by his first name instead of his last.

"All right," Miss Goodwitch announced as both combatants faced each other. "Let me go over the rules for Mister Valentine. You may use any means to win, provided that you don't intentionally try to kill your opponent. You are being trained to remove Grimm from the world, not each other. A winner is determined when someone's Aura level reaches critical or if someone is knocked out of the ring. If you don't have any questions, then begin."

Cardin rushed the butler as soon as he heard Miss Goodwitch say 'Begin.' He swung his mace high and brought it down to the his target, wanting the new person in Jaune's group to suffer as his way of saying 'Welcome to Beacon.'

Ash stepped to the side and put his left hand in the way of the mace. When the weapon hit his hand, he spun adding the momentum of the swing to his own. As he faced Cardin once again, he brought his left fist crashing towards Cardin's chin. It connected, but only a small percentage of Cardin's Aura meter went down. Cardin staggered to the side as Ash bounced back to put some distance between him and his opponent.

Once Cardin recovered his footing, he glared angrily at Ash. Once again, he rushed towards Ash and swung his mace to the side. As Ash got ready to do the same trick again, Cardin stopped mid swing and slammed his left shoulder against Ash. The butler was knocked off balance as Cardin hit him with his mace. The attack caught the butler off guard and ten percent of his Aura meter disappeared.

"Don't worry about it Ash!" Ruby yelled, stealing a glance at the board above the combatants. Each of them had dealt a single hit to their opponent, but Cardin had the clear advantage in damage. "He can still win right?"

No one gave her an answer.

Ash ran towards the middle of the arena, and turned to look at Cardin once again. Once more, the bully rushed towards Ash swinging his mace to the side. He swung the mace towards Ash once again, expecting him to watch his shoulder now instead of his weapon. He swung his mace and as he expected Ash stayed focus on his shoulder.

Ash rushed in, closing the distance between him and Cardin. Ash ducked in and pushed his body up, forcing his left fist up to deliver an uppercut to Cardin's jaw. As Cardin's head was forced up, his Aura meter decreased again, but a small amount like last time. Ash took his chance. With Cardin's head still vulnerable to attack, Ash threw two more small hooks to his chin, decreasing the muscular boy's Aura meter even further.

As Cardin staggered two steps back, Ash created more distance between them. Once he recovered, he immediately closed the distance between them once again. However, this time, he couldn't even swing his mace. Ash sidestepped and threw a straight at his opponent's chin as he passed by him. Cardin's Aura meter decreased, but an insignificant amount.

"He's not going to win is he?" Ruby asked the group, watching Cardin's Aura meter go down a few percentage at a time.

"Unfortunately no," Pyrrha agreed, stealing a glance of Weiss who was watching the duel intently. "What he's doing now is nothing more than pure survival."

"I believe in him," Weiss declared. "He'll win."

Weiss stood up and gathered her courage.

"Ash!" she exclaimed, catching the attention of the students on the sides as well as Miss Goodwitch. "This is an order. Win!"

She caught Ash staring at her as well as the smile that his lips formed. She smiled and sat back down.

Cardin recovered from his daze, and glared at the butler in front of him. His grip on his mace tightened.

"You think that pep talk from your girlfriend will make a difference?" Cardin mocked. "You can't drain my Aura with weak attacks like yours."

"As long as Miss Schnee orders it, I will fulfill it," Ash proclaimed. "I will win Mister Winchester."

Ash ran towards Cardin this time. The change of tactics surprised his opponent, causing him to reel back as Ash was suddenly significantly close. Ash threw a straight right towards Cardin's nose, decreasing Cardin's Aura meter even further. Using any left over momentum in his attack, Ash spun and drove his left elbow to Cardin's chin.

Cardin's knees buckled but caught himself just before he fell over. Focusing his energy to his lower body, Cardin tried to quicken his recovery and pushed his body forward.

Ash continued his spin as his opponent recovered. Facing him once again, Ash grabbed Cardin by the throat and slammed him to the ground, cracking the floor and pushing up dust on the ground.

The room remained quiet even as Ash walked away from Cardin.

"What just happened?" Jaune asked no one in particular. He looked up and the board and saw that even with his attack, Cardin's Aura meter still read at least seventy five percent. While Ash's Aura meter was still at ninety percent.

"I don't know," Pyrrha answered bewildered by what just happened. Jaune turned to Ren, but he merely shook his head.

"You think that's gonna be enough?" Cardin struggled to stand up. "I've still got Aura."

"No Mister Winchester," Miss Goodwitch announced. "This duel is over. It is your loss."

"What? How? I'm not out of the ring, and my Aura level is still far from the critical level!"

"Mister Winchester, you have been grounded. You can no longer continue. And because of that, you have lost."

"I can still get up," Cardin proclaimed as he tried once again to get on his feet, but failed.

"If you can Mister Winchester, then I'll allow the duel to continue."

Cardin tried again and again, but after a few minutes, Miss Goodwitch called it too late.

"Would someone from Team CRDL please come help Mister Winchester get back to his seat?"

Russel Thrush got up and made his way to the arena. Miss Goodwitch turned to Ash and nodded.

"Mister Valentine, that was a splendid performance. Even without a weapon, you turned this duel around. You may return to your seat."

Ash made his way back to Weiss' side, who was standing up along with the rest of the group.

"That was awesome!" Ruby enthusiastically exclaimed, her hands up in the air. "How did you win? I mean I knew from the beginning that you would, but how did you that? Are you a ninja?"

"Come now Ruby," Weiss tried to calm her partner. She returned her attention back to her butler with disappointment evident in her eyes. The expression caused Ash to put his head down in shame. "Ash, you could have ended that sooner. Why didn't you?"

"I apologize Miss Schnee," Ash got down on one knee in front of the heiress. "I have no excuse."

"Damn Ice Queen," Yang said with disapproval. "That's harsh, even for you. Can't you be happy that he won, even when no one thought he would?"  
"Speak for yourself Yang," Weiss countered. "I knew that he would. Father wouldn't have allowed him to be my personal butler if he was defeated by someone like Winchester. Now, Ash, answer my question. Why didn't you end it sooner? I've seen you fight before, you can't honestly tell me that you have gotten weaker in the short period of time I wasn't with you."

"I apologize once again Miss Schnee," he told her. "I don't wish to fight for my own sake. Before, I fought to protect you. Up there, I had nothing to fight for. That is until you ordered me."

"You idiot. You needed my order? What if I wasn't with you? Would you have let Winchester beat you to submission?"

"Weiss lay off," Yang threatened. "I knew you were hard on people, but this is just too much. What does it take for you to—"

Yang was cut off when Weiss knelt down and embraced Ash as best she could.

"Don't ever worry me like that again," Weiss told him. "That's an order."

"I understand Miss Schnee."

Miss Goodwitch coughed uncomfortably, causing Weiss to let Ash go and sit back down. Ash, as well, got up from the ground and sat on the chair next to his mistress.

"Now, Mister Valentine. Care to tell the class how you defeated Mister Winchester?"

"I caused a disruption in the neural feedbacks between his muscles and brain."

"And how did you do so?"

"My attacks on his chin."

"Care to elaborate Mister Valentine?"

"There is very little distance between the chin and the central nervous system. Moreover, the amount of muscle present between the two is minuscule. Should there be enough force striking the chin, the constant pressure disrupts the neural feedback. The loop doesn't complete and therefore the muscles will not move the way someone may want them to."

"Thank you Mister Valentine. Students, your Aura may protect you from harm, but it can only do so much. Mister Winchester may have plenty of Aura left, but even it couldn't restore the electrical feedbacks fast enough. Should I have let the duel continue, Mister Valentine could've simply beaten him while he was immobilized. Even if his attacks caused only a percentage of Aura to decrease, there was plenty of time to drop Mister Winchester's Aura level below critical."

"Mister Winchester, next time do not allow your temper to control you," Miss Goodwitch added. "That's the main problem you had in the duel. Alright, so who's next?"

As Miss Goodwitch selected a new set of combatants, Ruby turned to Ash.

"So Ash, you still haven't answered my question. Are you a ninja?"

Ash turned to Weiss who smiled and gave him a nod of approval. With that he turned back to Ruby and answered.

"No Miss Rose, I am a butler."


	3. That Is My Promise

Later that night Team RWBY, Team JNPR, and Ash entered Hei Xiong Jr.'s Club. Yang breathed in deep, enjoying the freedom that she felt whenever she isn't caged in Beacon. The others, on the other hand, looked around like lost children, except for Ash.

"Blondie," a gruff voice called out. Yang turned to the direction of the voice and waved at him as a greeting. Junior walked over to her and stared her down. "You know when you said you were coming tonight, I was hoping that you were just pulling my chain."

"Oh come on Junior," Yang said in a flirtatious tone of voice. "You know that I always come here on special occasions."

"Well what's the 'special' occasion this time?" Junior asked, emphasizing 'special,' as if to say that he didn't believe her.

"It's just a birthday night out for our friend here," Yang explained dragging Weiss to her side. Junior stared at Weiss, examining her carefully.

"A 'birthday night out' for Weiss Schnee, huh?'

"You know who I am?" Weiss asked the rather large man in front of her. He laughed.

"I'm an info broker Miss Schnee," he explained. "And besides, everyone knows the Schnee family."

Junior looked at the rest of their company and singled out Ash in the back.

"Ash Valentine," he called out. Ash made his way in front of Junior as eight pairs of eyes stared at him. "It's been a while since you came around. And here I thought my wish of you dying came true."

"Not everyone can be a winner Junior," Ash said with a bit of hostility in his voice. "It was you who taught me that."

"You guys know each other?" Yang asked, a bit bothered by the dense air between the two; Junior glaring at the shorter teen, and Ash smiling at the taller man with evident hostility.

"Junior and I have dealt with each other before," Ash explained, earning a glare from his mistress, demanding an explanation. "It was while I was placed under Miss Winter as an assistant to her project."

"Speaking of deals," Junior turned to leave. "I'm expecting a few later. Try not to destroy the place Blondie."

"Oh don't worry Junior," Yang reassured. "We're only here for some fun."

"I hope so," and with that Junior left the group alone, but paused for a moment. "Valentine, I'll let you work the bar tonight for your friends, drinks are free; but only for tonight. Consider it paying you a favor I owe.

"It's a deal," Ash bowed lightly to the tall club master.

"It seems that there is a side of you that even I don't know Ash," Weiss pointed out, causing the butler to chuckle.

"You need but to ask Miss Schnee," Ash told her.

"That's not important right now Ice Queen," Yang dismissed, keeping her eye on the butler. "You can mix?"

"Yes Miss Xiao Long," he answered with a smile, already knowing how the night will turn out. "I picked up the skill because of Master Schnee."

"Well what are we waiting for?" Yang said excitedly. "Let's go directly to the bar. You're gonna make me the best Strawberry Sunrise that you can possibly make."

"Yang!" Ruby exclaimed not knowing what her sister's talking about. "We can't drink. We're too young."

"Don't worry Miss Rose," Ash reassured her. "I will not be serving the eight of you any alcohol tonight."

"Weiss?" Ruby turned to her partner, eyes full of worry.

"Don't worry Ruby," she answered. "You can trust him."

The nine of them made their way to the bar, with Ash stepping inside of it, taking off his coat for better maneuverability. He went to work immediately, constructing Yang's Strawberry Sunrise. Once done, he passed a glass to her.

"Strawberry Sunrise, no ice," Ash repeated, taking a small decorative umbrella from a stack and placing it on top of the drink. "With a little umbrella on top."

"How'd you…" Yang couldn't complete her sentence with the butler smiling innocently at her. Instead she held the glass and took a sip as Ash started mixing other drinks. Her eyes beamed. "This is seriously good! It's way better than the one I had last time I was here."

"I'm glad you like it" Ash said, with his back turned, busy making the others drinks. Within a few minutes, he finished.

"Miss Rose," Ash called out to her, passing her a fruity beverage. "One Elimary's Cocktail."

"Miss Belladonna," Ash passed her a golden colored iced beverage. "One Orange Lime Relaxer."

"Mister Arc, Mister Lie Ren," Ash placed a glass full of a white beverage with ice and mint leaves in it in front of both of them. "Nojito for the both of you."

"Miss Nikos," he placed a glass of red colored drink with ice cubes floating on the top, a single cherry, and a small red umbrella on top. "One Shirley Temple for you."

"Miss Valkyrie," Ash passed her a tall glass of an orange beverage filled with ice and a single citrus with a cherry on top. "A Non Alcoholic Fizz for you."

"Miss Schnee," he placed a small glass of a light pink beverage in front of her. "Virgin Cherry for you."

"This is…" Pyrrha started, but stopped to take another sip of the drink in her hands. "This is really good."

"Why didn't you tell me that you could mix drinks before?" Weiss asked her butler, feeling that she knew very little about him. "I would've asked you to make some for me too."

"I appreciate the compliment Miss Schnee," Ash bowed to his mistress. "However, drinking these frequently has as much issues towards health as there are benefits. Nor was there any reason for you to go to a club before."

"Still would've appreciated the knowledge," Weiss muttered. "I feel like I know you the least when I've been with you the longest."

"I will not keep any secret from you Miss Schnee," Ash said leaning on the counter in front of Weiss, to prove his point. "You only need to ask."

"You guys should just get together," Nora freely said, with no sense of sensitivity. "Like together-together."

"Our relationship is that of pure companionship," Weiss explained as Ash pushed himself off of the counter and lean back on the wall behind him. "It's the same as the relationship between you and Ren. So if you say that Ash and I should start a romantic relationship, then you and Ren should as well."

Nora opened her mouth to argue, but Ren placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head, fully knowing his partner's chances of winning.

"The two relationships _are_ different though," Jaune chimed in. All eyes were directed towards him, and the now flustered blonde leader tried his best to explain. "Don't take it the wrong way, I mean with Nora and Ren, they simply support each other and treat each other as equals. With you and Ash, there's an obvious difference in standing."

"I am offended Arc," Weiss admitted angrily. "Ash is my equal. The only differences between us is our last names and gender. Other than that, we are just a couple of humans."

"I'm sorry," Jaune apologized, but he wasn't done with his argument. "But Weiss… you give him orders. Remember earlier today?"

"That was…" Weiss couldn't finish what she wanted to say as she realized that the boy had a strong argument, one that she had given him.

"And besides," Jaune continued. "I wasn't talking about you."

"Wha—"

"Weiss," Ruby joined in, staring at her partner almost apologetically. "Ash is extremely loyal to you. You're like a princess and he's your knight."

"Ash," Blake called for the butler's attention with the intention of closing the argument. "Should there be a situation when Weiss lost her weapon and is surrounded by Grimm, what would you do?"

"I would become her sword and shield as I was always meant to," Ash gave his answer immediately, without a millisecond of hesitation.

"And why is that?" the disguised Faunus continued. "Is it because of your contract to the Schnee family?"

"I would do so simply because it would be my desire to do so."

"Ash…" Weiss could say nothing to her butler. His loyalty to her was infinite.

"Be it the Grimm, the White Fang, her father, or the world, I will always be on Miss Weiss Schnee's side," Ash said getting on one knee in front of Weiss. "That is my promise."

"That is _so_ cute," Yang cooed, as warm joy filled the heiress. "If that's not love then may the world be destroyed tomorrow."

"On this again Xiao Long?" Weiss glared at the brawler.

"If I remember correctly Weiss, you didn't win the argument just now."

"This and that are two different arguments. Sure, romance took part in the argument just now, but only a miniscule one. That argument was one on status, not romance."

"So are you saying that you won't ever think of Ash as a possible suitor?" Blake asked, her ears twitching in curiosity underneath her bow.

Ash could only laugh silently as his mistress tried to protect herself from the friends that surrounded her. Looking at his eight customers' satisfied expressions, he made his way out of the bar.

"Now hold on," a rather soft voice called out. He turned and found none other than Melanie and Miltia Malachite smiling at him. "You haven't been around for a rather long while, and come back only to ignore us and serve your friends drinks?"

"Isn't that a bit mean?" Miltia asked. Ash smiled at them and worked on two more drinks.

"Wow," Yang said slightly impressed. "Seems that Mister Butler is a lot more popular than we thought."

"Ugh," Melanie groaned in disgust. "I'm surprised you haven't tried to kiss him yet."

"After all," Miltia added, on top of her sister's comment. "You like to flaunt your slutty body around."

"Still a bit sore from the first time huh girls?" Yang said with spite. "Plus its not my fault that I have the goods that you two lack."

"Oh you mean extra fat?" Miltia immediately fired back. "Yes, it is unfortunate that we lack utters for people to milk."

Yang quickly got up from her seat and activated Ember Celica. The twins stood up as well; ready to fight Yang once more.

"One Coco Light Martini for you, Miss Melanie," Ash called out as he placed the drinks on the counter. "And one Algonquin Cocktail for you, Miss Miltia."

The twins scoffed at the brawler and returned to their seats. Taking only a sip of their drink, they immediately lost themselves.

"It's been so long since I had a drink this good," Melanie moaned out. "Not even Junior can make drinks half as good as this."

"So strong," Miltia joined in. "But so smooth."

"You should just ditch the Schnee family and work here instead," Melanie tried tempting the butler, vaulting to the other side of the counter. She put her left hand on Ash's right cheek, the boy accepting the gesture. "There are so much more _benefits_ here than working for a Schnee."

Anger boiled inside of Weiss, just as much as it did in Yang. The only reason why she had yet to act on it was that they were surrounded and outnumbered.

"We'd have so much fun every night," Miltia joined in, vaulting to the other like her sister. She placed herself next to Ash and tried to tempt him by trying to direct his attention to as much of her skin that her current outfit would allow. "What do you say? Why stick with a slut, her tramp sister, a tease, and a stuck up bitch?"

"Hey!" Yang yelled in an outburst. "Insulting me is one thing, but insulting my entire team is just way out of line! They have nothing to do with any of this!"

"You're all just using him," Miltia accused. "They absolutely have something to do with this."

"If it were us," Melanie said, rubbing her finger on the butler's chest. "It would be the other way around."

In a blink of an eye, Yang vaulted over the counter and threw a punch at Melanie, causing her to crash to the wall. Miltia took out her claws immediately and attacked Yang, causing the girl to instinctively jump back over the counter.

Junior's usual henchmen gathered and surrounded the Beacon students, readying their weapons for a fight. The students of Beacon did the same, forming a circle and waited for the suited henchmen to attack.

"You're going to pay for that slut," Melanie threatened as she recovered. She, along with her twin sister, jumped over the counter and attacked Yang together. They manage to drag her out from the group. Ruby tried to follow them to provide some support for Yang, but was cut off by a large amount of henchmen.

The Malachite twins and Yang fought at the dance floor just like the first time they met, scaring the attendees that were there originally. However, they were soon forced to stop and shield their eyes from a blinding light.

When the light faded, Yang was no longer there to fight the twins. Instead she was limp in the arms of Ash as he carried her to back to the group.

"What did you do to me?" Yang asked the person carrying her.

"I forced your muscles to relax," Ash answered her, depositing her on the ground next to her teammates.

"Why did you do that to my sister?" Ruby asked angrily, pointing Crescent Rose at him. Ash let out a sigh before rushing towards Ruby and pinching her shoulder, causing her to lose strength on her knees. Ash caught her before she hit the ground, and placed her next to Yang.

"Ash," Weiss called out, unable to understand why he would do such a thing to her teammates. "Have you gone mad? Why are you protecting these hooligans?"

"Forgive me Miss Schnee," he told her before pinching her shoulder as he had done to Ruby and Yang. "Please believe me that I did this for all of your safety.

A henchman saw this as an opportunity and attacked, bringing his red blade down, aiming for the immobilized blonde. Ash stood up quickly and threw his fist in the way of the henchman, forcing him to the ground, the impact cracking the floor.

"Mister Arc," Ash turned to Jaune with a stoic expression. "Can I trust your team to look after Team RWBY?"

Jaune only nodded, his team surrounding the three paralyzed members. As the Malachite twins converged on them.

"Thank you for trusting me Miss Belladonna," Ash said turning his attention back to the henchmen.

Six of Junior's henchmen rushed Ash; two of them armed with two rather large cattle prods, while the rest were armed with red blades.

Ash charged towards one of the two henchmen with cattle prods and relieved him of the cattle prod, throwing the unfortunate henchman towards a glass wall shattering it to pieces.

The remaining five continued to rush the butler. Two of them swung their blades at Ash. Jumping up, Ash managed to dodge the strikes and brought the cattle prod down on one of them, breaking it as it made contact with the ground. Ash kicked the other away, sending him flying back a good few yards.

The remaining three split up, cornering the butler from three sides. The henchman to his left rushed Ash, swinging his blade down on Ash's head. Sidestepping to dodge the attack, another henchman rushed in to attack Ash while his back was turned.

Ash kicked the first henchman to attack him, sending him to the ceiling, catching the blade as it fell out of the henchman's hand. Putting the backside of the katana like blade against his back, Ash managed to block the incoming attack. Pushing the blade away, Ash stood up and kicked the henchman in the chest.

The final henchman, closed the distance between him and Ash, bringing the cattle prod up and slammed it towards Ash.

Ash released the blade in his hand and spun, just barely dodging the strike. He grabbed the henchman by the head and brought his knee to the henchman's nose.

"What is going on here?" Junior's voice boomed from the entryway of the VIP area. Soon, Junior was met with the sight of his partially destroyed club. "What happened?"

Melanie and Miltia stood down and made their way to Junior and gave him a rather biased report of what had occurred.

"Valentine," Junior called angrily. "What did you do?"

"I saved as much of your club as I can Junior," he answered. "If I had left Miss Xiao Long alone, your club would've been nothing but rubble by now."

Ash walked up to Melanie and Miltia, and bowed slightly.

"I apologize Miss Melanie, Miss Miltia. I take full responsibility of what had occurred."

Weiss felt useless and incompetent, simply allowing Ash to assimilate all the blame.

"We'll be taking out leave," Ash announced, making his way to the back of the bar counter to grab his coat. He put the coat back on and made his way back to Weiss. He picked her up in his arms; she was unable to fight with her muscles still unable to move. "Miss Belladonna, can you help Miss Xiao Long?"

Blake nodded and helped Yang get to her feet and allowing her to lean on her for support.

"Mister Arc, can I trust you with Miss Rose?"

"Sure," Jaune responded, making her way to the downed Ruby.

"Piggyback," Ruby demanded, knowing that she could get away with it if only for tonight. Jaune let out a sigh before helping her get on his back.

The nine of them exited the club and made their way back to Beacon.

When they reached the dorm rooms, the paralysis on the girls' muscles had worn off slightly, enabling them to walk.

"Thanks for the help Jaune," Ruby said, as she used the wall to stay on her feet.

"Ash," Weiss squirmed in her butler's arms. "You will pay for what you did."

"I am sorry for what I did Miss Schnee," Ash apologized again, his expression contorting with guilt.

"'Now more importantly. Put me down!"

Weiss squirmed more violently in his arms, but still couldn't muster enough energy to break free from Ash's arms. Ash put her down, and held her shoulders gently to support her.

"All right," Jaune said nervously. He knew that when Team RWBY held a grudge, it was a grudge they would never forget. He turned to the butler who was smiling at Weiss even though she was glaring daggers at him. "It's best if we get some sleep. See you guys tomorrow."

Team JNPR said their 'goodnights' and their final birthday wishes for Weiss before disappearing behind the door to their dorm room.

"We should get some sleep too," Ruby suggested, earning a groan of agreement from her team members. She opened the door to their room when a realization dawned on her. "Ash, where did Professor Ozpin place you?"

"Professor Ozpin has yet to mention my sleeping arrangements," Ash answered her, as two sets of eyes glared at him; one set of lilac eyes, and a set of blue. "I am to report to him after my business here is done."

Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang stumbled in a zombie-like manner with Ash trailing behind them perfectly fine.

"Well this was truly an interesting night," Ash said trying hard not to laugh at the four dead tired girls in front of him. "Wouldn't you girls agree?"

"Shut up," Yang commanded, her eyes growing red before growing wider, panicking as her knees started to buckle once again. "Who do you think is the reason why we're like this?"

"I would assume that it would be because of you Miss Xiao Long," the butler answered, unfazed the anger directed towards him. "It was you who instigated Miss Melanie and Miss Miltia after all."

"I was trying to protect you," Yang argued. Her statement confused the butler, merely staring at her with his head tilted to side.

"Whatever do you mean Miss Xiao Long?" he asked. The team groaned at his ignorance of the matter. "They did nothing more than just talk to me."

"Oum," Yang complained, letting her body fall on her partner's bed. "Weiss, can I hit him please? Please, just once. I can die happy tonight if I do."

"Get in line Xiao Long," the heiress told her. She was currently at the foot of her bed, unable to get up with her legs feeling weaker than she had ever felt before. "I get to hit the idiot first."

"Fine, but I call dibs on second."

"I'm taking a shower first," Weiss called out. Blake stood up and made her way to their shared bathroom.

"Only if you can get up Weiss," Blake teased. Weiss tried to push herself up, but couldn't. She tried once more, but fell again. She waved at Blake, giving up and allowing Blake to take one first.

"I will take my leave then," Ash said, bowing to Weiss before making his way to the door. A book flew past him, forcing him to stop.

"You do not have permission to go," Weiss told him. "You will explain yourself tonight."

"Yes Miss Schnee. Then I'll be just outside."

After an hour, all four members have recovered and have taken their showers.

"Ash come in," Weiss called through a closed door. Ash opened the door and found the four girls staring at him in their nightwear.

"Why the hell did you paralyze us?" Yang asked angrily. "We could've taken them all."

"I don't doubt that Miss Xiao Long," Ash explained calmly. "However, I simply couldn't allow any of you to take part in that little brawl. You all could've received some repercussion for participating in such a thing. Especially Miss Schnee. Should she have participated in that brawl, word might spread and the Schnee's may lose credibility."

"Then why did you fight?" Blake asked, more confused than angry.

"I am but a mere servant. As such, I am expendable. Should rumors start to spread about my involvement in the matter, Master Schnee will simply relieve me from my duties as a servant."

"What makes you think that you're expendable?" Weiss asked, all her anger throughout the night was now being directed at Ash. "You're anything but expendable. No one can just replace you."

"Love," Yang said in between coughs. Weiss ignored her, too tired to argue with the blonde about the matter again tonight.

"Alright. I forgive you Ash, but that doesn't mean that you no longer owe us. The usual please."

Weiss lay on her bed face down as Ash made his way to her with a smile. The heiress' roommates stared at Ash confused.

Ash placed his hands on Weiss' shoulders and started to massage her. Weiss could only moan as her butler applied pressure to her sore muscles. In mere ten minutes, Weiss was asleep with a content smile.

"That's the usual?" Ruby asked, staring at Weiss smiling face. Jealousy started to fill her. "It looks like it would feel good."

"I am indebted to all of you, I would be glad to give you all one tonight."

"Me first," Yang called out, and the butler made his way to her. Another ten minutes passed filled with Yang's moans of pleasure. Soon, the brawler was asleep.

Ash did the same to Blake and Ruby to have the same effect as with Weiss and Yang. Ruby was the last member to get massaged. The only difference was that she hadn't immediately fallen asleep.

"Ash?" Ruby called, her voice filled with the drowsiness that was threatening to consume her.

"Yes Miss Rose?"

" _Do_ you love Weiss?"

"I do Miss Rose."

"In a romantic kind of way, right?"

"Yes Miss Rose."

"Why don't you just say so then?"

"It's because I can't. I simply am not allowed to."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, her eyes already closing.

"Sleep now Miss Rose. The answer can wait."

Ruby was already fast asleep. Ash turned the lamp light off, the only source of light, save for the moonlight that dripped in from the window. Turning towards the door, Ash went to leave.

"Ash," he heard Weiss murmur in her sleep. He walked over to the sleeping heiress and crouched down. "Let go of the rope, you idiot."

Ash laughed silently, wondering what she could possibly be dreaming about. She shifted a little, some of her hair landing in front of her, tickling the tip of her nose. Reaching over, he brushed it back behind her.

"Happy birthday Weiss," he whispered. Her eyebrows crunched together. Worried, he placed his hand on her cheek, and her eyebrows loosened up. Smiling, he retracted his hand only for her to grab it tightly. Twice he tried to gently pry his hand away, her grip tightening even more whenever he tried.

"It's all right you fool," Weiss murmured once again. Ash couldn't help but laugh. "I'll catch you. Just let go."

"It's you who won't let go," Ash sat on the floor by her bed, waiting for her to let go, or at the very least loosen her grip. Before he knew it, he was already falling asleep.


	4. Hope This Helps

For once in the whole time that she has stayed in Beacon, Weiss finally had a continuous peaceful sleep. Ash's massage last night lulled her to the peaceful slumber that she had always wanted to experience again. Her only regret was that she couldn't enjoy Ash's touch longer.

She opened her eyes the next morning roughly ten minutes before the alarm that usually woke up the team rang. The first thing she saw was the black glove that she could assume she had been holding for a while. The next thing she saw was Ash's form, sleeping next to her bed leaning on the bookshelf.

She reached out and caressed his cheek just as she had always done whenever she managed to catch him sleeping. It was only when she had seen Blake on the other side of the room that she remembered it wasn't at all any other morning she had before.

Weiss retracted her hand and let his hand go. Sitting up, she tried to remember whatever she could of the events from last night.

After each member of Team RWBY had taken their showers, Weiss asked Ash for a massage. After that, she had fallen asleep – a dream taking her immediately. However later on, her consciousness returned for a short time when she felt something tickle her nose for a brief moment. That tickle soon disappeared as someone caressed her hair.

 _Happy birthday Weiss_ , she heard. The voice was familiar, immediately thinking of Ash, but he's yet to call her by her first name only. Still, something major was missing. That's when she started to recount her dream.

* * *

 _A rumor of a princess trapped in a tower was the talk of the kingdom. The self proclaimed 'Strongest of the strong' all went to rescue the princess, but none of them ever came back._

 _A cloaked traveler stood at the base of the tower that was said to contain the princess, but as no one had ever come back from the tower, no one knew what prevents them from ever completing the mission. Nothing special stood out on the exterior of the tower, therefore whatever ended the lives of the many prior to the traveler is inside._

 _The traveler opened the giant wooden double doors of the tower and entered. The door slamming close as the traveler took six steps. The interior of the tower was covered in a layer of darkness; only some parts were illuminated by the torches close by. The traveler grabbed one of the torches from the wall and proceeded deeper in._

 _Only a few minutes in he reached a barren chapel like altar. At first, only silence greeted the room, but soon a part of the floor melted and gave way to a giant white armor rising through it before becoming solid once more._

 _The armor stood up, as if possessed by a spirit. The floor beside the armor melted like it had before, and out came a sword larger several dozen times larger than anything she had seen before. Grabbing it by the hilt with one hand, the armor raised it with ease. One could only guess that this was the reason for the deaths of those who had come before him._

 _The traveler produced his own blade, and prepared for what was sure to be a difficult battle._

 _The armor swung its massive blade downward at the traveler. The traveler jumped back to dodge to the mighty blow but pieces of the floor broke and flew at him. The shards grazed exposed skin, and ripped his clothing wherever they hit. The armor lifted its sword again and swung it to the side, forcing the traveler to jump back to retreat even more. Recovering from its swing quickly, the armor swung at the traveler again as he was helpless in the air. Having no choice, the traveler put his blade between him and the armor's sword._

 _The impact of the giant sword forced the traveler across the room, slamming him against a wall, cracking it. Blood came out of the traveler's mouth as he struggled to get up. But the armor is relentless, not bothering to wait for its opponent to recover, it charged._

 _It brought its blade downward at the traveler once again, aiming to finish him like all the others before him. The traveler pushed himself to the side, just barely dodging the attack._

 _Knowing that he had no time, the traveler willed his body to move. He ran towards the armor's legs and stabbed and sliced at it, hoping it would do anything. Unfortunately, the armor only found his efforts as nothing more but an annoyance._

 _The armor lifted one of its feet and brought it down to crush the traveler, only for its target to dodge it like most of its attacks before._

 _The traveler rushed forward, towards its feet, once again. He jammed his blade in the armor's knee guards and pulled it out making sure to bring the blade higher to cut it as he did. The armor fell to one knee, but made no sound. The armor swung its arm at the traveler, sending him flying to another wall again._

 _More blood came out of the traveler's mouth, his vision blurring. The armor stood up, and made its way to the traveler, blade in both hands. By some unreasonable force of will, the traveler stood up as well._

 _The armor swung its blade at the traveler, aiming to decapitate him, but the traveler jumped in to the air with unbelievable power. The blade flew by nearly fifteen yards below him, he wished for a surface where he could use to leap towards his enemy and thrust his blade through its helmet as he had done to its knee. He felt something solid at his feet and looked down to see a piece of the wall he thrown in to falling to the ground as he was, and thanked his luck._

 _Pushing off the piece of rubble, the traveler thrust his blade through a crack of the armor's helmet. It shook violently, letting go of its sword and swiped at the human hanging on to his blade for dear life. The armor slammed its fist against its helmet to kill the human, but the human refused to die. Broken bones, punctured lungs, and gashes didn't deter the human, but made him fight stronger._

 _The armor stopped its attack and fell to its knees. The traveler's sword slipped from the armor's helmet and the traveler fell to the floor, bleeding profusely. Some unknown strength filled the traveler's body, he picked himself up from the ground and slowly made his way to the princess' tower, his vision nearly gone, and whatever he could see had tint of red._

 _The traveler unlocked and opened the door before falling unconscious._

 _The traveler opened his eyes again and saw the caring face that only a princess could have. He smiled at her, as tears of joy filled the princess' eyes._

 _"Oh brave traveler" she said. "You are alive right?"_

 _"Yes, princess," the traveler answered, his voice of hoarse from his injuries. "I am alive, but we must be going."_

 _The traveler pushed himself off from where he was laying. The sounds of rusted armor cluttering echoed from somewhere close by. The princess' eyes filled with dread._

 _"I am afraid we are too late brave one," her voice shook as she spoke. "The cursed armor you have defeated earlier is alive once again."_

 _"Then we leave through the window," the traveler told her. He produced a rope from his pocket and tied it to the bed. He threw the other end out the window and began to climb down, the princess following him. He soon reached the end of the rope, but there was still some distance between them and the ground below._

 _"What do we do now brave one?" the princess asked, hope leaving her by the second. Taking a breath to gather his courage, the traveler jumped._

 _"Jump princess, I'll catch you."_

 _Hesitantly, she released her grip on the rope. The traveler moved in to catch her. She landed directly in his arms, and let out a sigh of relief._

 _"Thank you brave one," the princess bowed in a familiar way. "My name is Ash."_

* * *

Weiss smiled, silently wishing for a continuation of the dream later at night. Her eyes panned back to the sleeping figure of her butler and imagined him in a dress, like the 'princess' in her dreams. The idea of telling Ash to dress like a princess tempted her to no end, but it would be nothing more than her simply ordering him for her own personal gain.

"What's up with the perverted smile Weiss?" Yang asked from her bed on Blake's. Weiss looked up at her in shock. Yang pointed at her lip and Weiss quickly wiped her lips, finding a little saliva on it. "He fell asleep here huh? Doesn't look very comfortable."

"Do you know what happened?" Weiss asked her blonde teammate as she stretched within the confines of her bed.

"Sure," Yang said in a matter of fact tone of voice. She jumped down from her bunk and stretched her spine. "Woke up in the middle of the night and found the sweetest thing. The princess holding her prince's hand as she slept. Wanna see a picture?"

Yang grabbed her scroll from her bed and pulled up a photo of Weiss sleeping soundly, with Ash's hand in between hers. Ash had his head down as he did now.

"Delete it," Weiss demanded in a rather loud voice as she turned a slight shade of pink. Yang made no such effort to fulfill her teammate's demand, but instead put a finger to her lips.

"Shh, you're going to wake him up."

Weiss rolled her eyes at the blonde and knelt by the sleeping boy.

"Ash, wake up," she shook him slightly. "Ash, come on. At the very least, use my bed if you're going to keep sleeping."

Ash opened his eyes and looked up at Weiss. He craned his neck side to side, the popping of his vertebrae sounded throughout the dorm room.

"Miss Schnee," Ash's voice was a bit rough due to the stress on his Adam's apple. "I see. I fell asleep here."

"Didn't you say you had to go see Professor Ozpin for your room?" Yang pointed out. Ash nodded slowly craning his neck side to side once more, earning him a few more pops.

"I'd best go," Ash slowly stood up as Weiss gave him some space. "I doubt you'd feel comfortable taking a shower with a guy in the room."

"I'm sure Weiss wouldn't mind," Yang teased, with the heiress glaring at her. "What? I'm sure you guys have taken baths together before."

"That was before, Miss Xiao Long," Ash admitted, yawning soon after. Yang's arms slumped to her side as her blood, along with Weiss', rushed to their faces. The blonde stared at Weiss, half expecting her to deny the claim, but it never came. "Besides, should Miss Goodwitch find me here, I doubt I would be at Beacon for long. If you'll excuse me, Miss Schnee."

"Go ahead Ash," Weiss refused to look at the butler as he walked out of the door. Once the door was closed, Weiss very stiffly started fixing her bed.

"So Weiss," Yang said awkwardly. "What he said just now… Care to comment?"

"He was just helping me wash my back since my sister was unavailable at times," Weiss ignored the blonde and walked towards the bathroom door. "He was completely clothed and I… I…. I'm going to take a shower first. Wake those two up won't you? Let's just pretend he didn't say anything."

"Yeah. Let's do that."

"Thanks."

Yang couldn't help but wonder what Ash helping Weiss was her body seemed like. After one thought, she very quickly kicked the thought out of her head.

* * *

Ash made his way to Professor Ozpin's office, trying to remember the path that he and Miss Goodwitch took the day before. It wasn't long before he found himself in front his office. Ho knocked three times and waited for a response.

"Come in," strangely enough, it was Miss Goodwitch's voice that came from the other side of the door. Ash opened the door and found Miss Goodwitch alone in the spacious office. She turned and eyed him, as if inspecting every fiber of his being.

"Mister Valentine, I'd ask where you were last night, but I can guess," Miss Goodwitch walked over to Professor Ozpin's desk and pulled out a key from one of the drawers. Ash walked over and received the key from the young teacher. "Your room is the third door down the hall from Team RWBY's, as a request from Winter Schnee.

"As you joined Beacon late, you will be living alone. Therefore you are expected to have a tidier room than most of the teams. Your clothes have all been transferred there last night, and a package from Winter Schnee arrived for you as well. It's already been transferred to your room."

"Thank you Miss Goodwitch," the butler bowed to the teacher as he left the room. Ash made it only a few feet before the door opened.

"Oh and Mister Valentine? Do try and hurry. Classes will start soon."

Ash smiled at the teacher and nodded. Only minutes later, Ash was at his room. His clothes, mainly composed of formal suits, were already in the drawers. The only thing that stood out was a rectangular box in the middle of the room.

Curious as to what the eldest Schnee daughter has sent him; Ash laid the box on the ground. A small letter was attached to it. Picking it up, Ash started to read it.

 _Ash, Glynda informed me of your situation. Hope this helps._

 _Winter Schnee_

 _P.S. Be sure to impress Weiss with what you learned up till now._

Ash smiled at the letter, and knew what to expect. He put the box aside and got ready for class just as Miss Goodwitch had advised him.

Soon, Ash exited his room in another a cleaner suit, his hair still slightly damp from his shower. Locking the door, Ash turned around to see none other than Cardin Winchester in his uniform waiting for him with a shit-eating grin

"How do you do Mister Winchester?" Ash greeted politely. "Do you have business with me?"

"As a matter of fact Valentine, I do," Cardin took out his scroll and pulled up a picture. He showed it to Ash, hoping to get a reaction, but was annoyed when he didn't. The picture showed Ash entering the Team RWBY dorm room with the owners of the room. "You know, a picture like this can surely spread a lot of rumors."

"I suppose it can Mister Winchester, but rumors can be easily cleared up."

"Unless it's posted on…say the net."

"Are you threatening me Mister Winchester?" Ash asked with boiling anger slowly building inside him.

"I'm merely trying to make a deal, Valentine," Cardin said putting his right hand on Ash's left shoulder. "You and I are going to have a rematch today, and you're just gonna 'trip.'"

"Ash?" Weiss called out a few doors away, wearing her Beacon uniform.

"See you later Valentine," Cardin called out as he walked away. Weiss walked towards her butler in concern.

"What did he want?" she asked with bitterness in her voice.

"He holds a photo of me entering your dorm room Miss Schnee," he answered. "He told me to throw the rematch that he'd challenge me to today if I don't want that picture to go up in the net."

"Ash, if you fail to defeat Winchester, Father will most likely…" Weiss couldn't finish her sentence, afraid of the possibility. "It's just a picture Ash, Winchester still has nothing to threaten you with."

"But the possibility of it ruining your image as well as your friends' still exists Miss Schnee. I can't take that risk."

"Ash listen to me, you will not lose to Winchester. Not now, not ever. Is that understood?"

"Yes Miss Schnee."

"You now no longer work for the Schnee family. Now you work for _me_ only. I'll personally tell Father and Winter at a later date, is that understood Ash?"

Ash smiled at Weiss, now his only mistress and master. Weiss' eyes grew as she realized that she had never seen him this happy before. Ash knelt down on one knee.

"I, Ash Valentine, solemnly swear to serve you, Miss Weiss Schnee, with the best of my abilities until the day I die. Your enemy is my enemy, be it the Grimm, the White Fang, your father, or the world, I shall never leave your side. Should you decide to discard me, I shall still watch over you, protecting you from anything that may do you harm as I have always done."

Ash held out his hand, and gently took hold of Weiss' outstretched hand and kissed it. With this his pact to her is complete. He shall serve her from this day forth until the day of his death.

"Aww something happen?" From the RWBY dorm room door, Ruby stood in her Beacon uniform as well. "Do you guys do this everyday?"

"Mister Winchester holds a picture of me entering the RWBY dorm room," Ash admitted, getting back up on his feet. "He's threatening to upload it on the net if I don't throw the rematch that he'd challenge me to today."

"What'll you do?" Ruby asked, her expression now stern.

"I am to never lose against Mister Winchester, no matter the consequence," Ash answered, though a troubled expression soon appeared on him. "Though the end results bother me."

"We'll deal with it when the time comes," Weiss told her butler. "Right now, you're priority is to wipe the floor with Winchester."

"Yes Miss Schnee."

"Wow Weiss," Ruby said in awe. "I've never seen you act this way."

"I've never resented someone like this before."

"Oh Ash," Ruby called excitedly. "Is this your room?"

Ash only nodded in confirmation.

"Wow, so close to our dorm room too. We can have a sleep over here, and be back in our room in no time."

"Never mind that," Weiss said, shaking her head at her leader. "Let's go get breakfast. We have Doctor Oobleck's class afterwards."

* * *

Doctor Oobleck babbled on nonstop for over two hours lecturing his class about the Faunus hierarchy several millennia ago. Unfortunately, almost no one was paying attention to the caffeinated teacher; some simply were unable to keep up with him. The only ones really paying attention were Pyrrha, Weiss, and Ash. The rest were either asleep or doing something else to pass the time.

"The Faunus hierarchy was no different from humans'," he said as he zoomed across the classroom. "In fact it was the Faunus that introduced the concept of hierarchy to humans. With that in mind, it makes the racial tensions between humans and Faunus even more unsightly."

"Ruling at the top of the Faunus hierarchy, were the dragon-based Faunus. These Faunus were seen with wings protruding from their backs, thus being compared to angels of Oum."

"Wings?" Weiss asked, unknowingly.

"Yes, Miss Schnee," the professor answered, halting his rambling. "Is there something you wish to add?"

"No, professor," Weiss said with something clearly bothering her, but decided to not give it voice. The professor eyed her once, to see if she'd eventually say it, but let it go soon after.

She looked around, trying to avoid the professor's eyes, landing on Ash's eyes staring back at her. She held her gaze there for a while, surprised by the gloomy look of his eyes. It was if he wanted something from her.

"It was only three centuries ago that this feudal hierarchy was destroyed by the dragons themselves," Doctor Oobleck continued his lesson, despite a large percentage of his students ignoring him. "Why the dragons destroyed it, is unknown; truly regrettable. During the dragons' rule, there were no recorded acts of revolt. When the dragons destroyed the feudal system, does anyone want to take a guess what happened to the dragons?"

No one raised their hand, and for a minute, the professor only looked around the room.

"Velvet, care to take a guess?"

"I'm sorry professor," the timid Faunus said, her Faunus ears drooping down. "This is the first time I've ever heard of dragon based Faunus."

"That's unfortunate," the professor said, rather disappointed. "Anyone?"

"They were hunted down," Ash's voice echoed throughout the quiet room. All eyes landed on him, Weiss', Blake's, and Velvet's eyes growing large at the answer.

"Well well," the professor said surprised. "Very well done Ash. What else do you know?"

"The dragons were hunted down for sport. Hunted by the Faunus they ruled over, and much later on in the future, the humans as well. Their wings served as trophies for those who were successful in their hunts. Men, women, and children, no matter what the age or gender, their wings were ripped from their backs. For a time, another hierarchy began. The greater the amount of wings one collects, the greater their standing."

"Why?" Blake asked her teammate's butler, eager to learn more. "Why would they do that? You claimed it was for sport, but what started it all?"

"Now that's the question Blake," Doctor Oobleck told his student. Gaining the attention of his students once again. "Why would the Faunus—"

"Fear," Ash interrupted the teacher. The teacher looked at him, pulling the attention of the students away from the professor again. He quickly realized what he'd done.

"I apologize professor. I didn't mean to—"

"Continue Ash," the professor interrupted him, his eyes eager to hear what the student had to say.

"Yes professor," Ash took a breath before continuing. "What started it all was fear. Even when the dragons relinquished their power as rulers, they were feared because of their wings and strength that goes beyond than that of any other Faunus. The ability to fly with that kind of strength, at that point in time really was something to be feared. Instead of angels, they were then compared to demons. When the first dragon was murdered, the Faunus knew that the dragons could be killed. From then on, the dragons were hunted till endangered."

"'Endangered?'" Blake asked, with fear in her voice. Ash nodded.

"The last sighting of a dragon based Faunus was a little over a decade ago," Ash added, as he noticed Blake shaking slightly in her seat. "A dragon child was ran over by accident during a Faunus riot. Reports say that the child was killed by the impact."

Weiss' body stiffened, looking down to avoid any set of eyes; especially Blake's, even if she knew that Blake wasn't looking at her.

"So they're now extinct?" the professor asked, fearing he already knows the answer.

"One can assume."

"I see. That is a shame. Such a family, gone. Right under our noses as well. I thank you for sharing Ash, this has been… enlightening."

The room remained quiet for several excruciatingly long minutes before the professor spoke again.

"The rest of the class will be treated as a study hall, you may go when the chime sounds."

With that, the usually energetic professor slowly exited the room.

"I'm going to the bathroom for a bit," Weiss announced to her friends, no one could say a thing. Ash stood up to go with her, but stopped when she held up her hand. "I'll be fine Ash, I'll be back soon."

Ash remained standing as she exited the room as well.

"How'd you know all that Ash?" Jaune asked, turning pale as he felt more nausea than he did on airships or Bullheads.

"I've spent countless nights reading in the Schnee library and archives," Ash answered; obvious that he was choosing his words carefully. "I thought if I did so, I can help Miss Schnee in her studies. However, she never needed it."

"'As long as he thought it would help me, he'd do it even at the cost of his health,'" Ruby quoted, remembering how Weiss described her butler.

"If you'll excuse me," Ash excused himself, walking towards the door.

"Going after Weiss?" Yang asked, smiling at the butler.

"She never ordered me to stay," the butler responded looking back. A grin started to form on his new friends as they all called him 'smartass' in their thoughts. "Oh and Miss Belladonna, before I go. You should know that dragon child is still alive."

"But you said—" Blake started, her eyes gaining back the light that they had lost.

"I merely paraphrased the files," Ash interrupted. "I know because I was there that day."

Ash exited the room as Blake silently cried in relief.

* * *

Weiss exited the bathroom after emptying her stomach of her breakfast. Her eyes were red, her head still spinning. There, waiting patiently for her, was Ash, holding out a bottle of water in his hands.

She took the bottle and drank a few gulps of it, washing her mouth of anything she may have left behind.

"Are you all right Miss Schnee?" Ash asked softly.

"Ash, can you listen to me ramble for a bit?" Weiss asked as she handed the bottle back to him.

"Anything for you Miss Schnee."

"That child you mentioned earlier," Weiss said in a soft voice. "I knew him. I don't know him by name, but I knew him. That day was my sixth birthday. My father, Winter, and I – along with some nobles and bodyguards – were going across town to eat at a brand new restaurant that I've wanted to try. Then a boy with wings, probably my age, wished me a happy birthday."

"He was dirty. He was caked in mud, and I had the bodyguards get rid of him. They just threw him into an alley like he was nothing more than just garbage. I did it only because I didn't want the Schnee family to lose credibility. Before I knew it a riot began."

"I was so scared. I was pushed out in to the streets, and saw a truck speeding towards me. I thought I was going to die. But that dragon saved me. He pushed me out of the way. I was the reason that the guards hurt him, but in the end, he still saved me. Why?"

"Why do I deserve to live, when he didn't?" Weiss had tears in her eyes, and the threat of emptying her stomach again rose. Ash embraced her, trying to take in her sorrow.

"Miss Schnee," Ash called almost in a whisper. She could feel his chest vibrate when he spoke. "What would you do if I told you that I knew that child?"

Weiss pushed away from his chest by a small amount. Wanting to look in his eyes, while still close enough to feel his comforting warmth.

"You knew him?"

"Not only that, but I was there that day. That boy is still alive. It was only said he died in the reports to prevent any scandals connecting the Schnee Dust Company to the accident."

"Why didn't you say anything to me?" Weiss asked putting her head down, anger towards Ash building up inside her. She felt betrayed. Betrayed by the butler she made her own only a few hours ago.

"If I had said anything," Ash started. Weiss tried to push herself away from Ash, but the boy held her tight. "You would've felt guilty and more than likely would never want anything to do with me."

"I… I wouldn't—"

"Yes you would Miss Schnee, I've known you for a long time. I know you more than you realize. I simply could not tell you about my involvement in that event because my only desire is to serve you. I would not have had that chance if I had told you."

"Why do you go so far for me? We've never met before you were assigned to me, so why?"

"I believe that everything is governed by destiny, Miss Schnee," Ash asked as he held Weiss closer. "I believe that I was born in to this world for the specific reason of serving you. Right now, I can't think of anything I'd want more than to stay by your side."

"Ash, that doesn't answer my question. Even if something as unexplainable as destiny is involved, there's no reason for you to stay with me at all."

"I didn't know I needed a reason Miss Schnee," Weiss looked up at the butler as much as she could, finding the warm smile that he always wore for her. "All these years, I've never had a reason that would satisfy you. My only reason for serving you is to stay with you."

"You really don't understand Ash," Weiss said smiling. She pulled herself closer to Ash, burying her head in the crook oh his shoulder. "I am satisfied with your answer. I just don't understand why."

"Uhh," a voice made itself known to the two. They turned, and saw Ruby standing there, scratching her head, and not knowing what to do. "It's already time to go. I was going to call out sooner but uhh…"

Weiss quickly peeled herself off of Ash and marched towards Ruby. She glared at her, sending a chill down the fifteen year old's spine.

"You didn't see any of that," Weiss told her with venom in her voice. Ruby couldn't help but notice the pink tint of Weiss' cheeks. With that she marched towards their next class, leaving her team leader and butler.

"Listen Ash," Ruby turned to the butler who only chuckled as he watched his mistress march away. "I had a dream last night, and I could've sworn it was real. But I'm just gonna ask anyway. Do you love Weiss?"

"Miss Rose," Ash started. "Miss Goodwitch is behind you."

Ruby turned to see Miss Goodwitch readying her riding crop.

"Miss Rose, Mister Valentine, I sure do hope you're not thinking of skipping my class."

"We were just heading over there. See you Ash!"

And with that, Ruby activated her semblance and disappeared, leaving behind a flurry of rose petals.

* * *

"All right students," Miss Goodwitch said her voicing showing a slight frustration. "Let's get started immediately. There's no better time than the present."

"Miss Goodwitch," Cardin called out, smirking at Ash. "I want a rematch with Valentine."

"I'll allow it Mister Winchester, if Mister Valentine accepts."

Ash looked to Miss Schnee, and she gave a nod. Cardin didn't miss this and smirked.

"Am I able to grab my gear, Miss Goodwitch?" Ash asked. The teacher looked at him with a confused look for a brief moment before she realizing what he spoke of.

"What gear?" Cardin asked, unnerved. "I thought he came without a weapon?"

"You may go Mister Valentine," the professor ignored the muscular student. "You have five minutes."

Ash exited the room, leaving a confused student body with the exception of Ruby. Cardin made his way to the front of the room and called his locker, grabbing his mace and armor inside when it arrived.

"Weiss," Ruby mewed excitedly. "Ash has a weapon! I wonder what kind of weapon it is. Could it be a transforming great sword-rocket launcher? Maybe it's a rapier like yours."

"He must've learned how to wield one when he was with Winter," Weiss guessed, slightly disappointed that neither Winter nor Ash informed her.

"It would be so cool if it was the great sword," Ruby continued not ignoring her partner's comment. "No, it doesn't fit him. He's not the correct build."

"Ruby," Jaune criticized her. "You have Crescent Rose. A gigantic sniper-scythe and you judge him by his body build?"

"… You make an excellent point," Ruby said in a whisper, going back in to her thoughts about Ash's weapon.

A few minutes later, Ash walks back in the room with a rather regular sword, with the Atlas symbol in the guard, in its white sheath strapped across his back, and a white metal bracer on his left arm extending from his wrist to his elbow, along with the glove he used to fight Cardin the glove he fought Cardin with before, along with a matching one on his right hand; all of it on top of his usual formal suit.

"Yeah," Ruby said rather disappointedly. "That fits him more than a great sword. Was kinda hoping for more though."

"Well let's not judge it yet Ruby," Pyrrha pointed out, examining whatever part of the weapon she could. "The weapon hardly matters, it all depends on how he uses it."

"I've known Ash for a long time," Weiss told them all. "The only time that he could've had training was when he was with my sister. Even then, that was only for a few months."

"A few months should be enough," Ruby asked albeit a bit nervous. "Right? Right guys?"

No one answered her.

"All right," Miss Goodwitch announced. "You two know the rules. Begin when ready."

Ash drew his sword, a double-edged steel blade, and stretching three and a half feet long, with his right hand and simply kept it at his side, the tip pointing ahead towards Cardin.

Cardin ran to Ash, and swung his mace down. Ash didn't move to dodge the attack, making the bully smile.

Ash grabbed his sword's hilt with two hands and moved it to block the mace. The blade connected the mace's handle just below the head. Ash overpowered Cardin, forcing the mace to the left, and left it to crash on the floor.

Cardin was stunned, originally thinking that his threat to the butler had an effect. Ash turned his body to the right and brought his blade across the larger teen's chest. Cardin's armor and Aura preventing him from getting wounded. Cardin's body reeled back a few yards due to the force.

"You really don't care do you?" Cardin asked, as he regained his balance. "You'll regret this Valentine. Everything will be your fault."

Weiss grit her teeth, as she listened to Cardin. In truth she had no idea how to prevent Cardin from keeping true to his threat.

"Miss Schnee has ordered me never to lose to you Mister Winchester," Ash told him, his expression contorting in both anger and frustration.

"Then whatever happens next is your fault," Cardin smiled, knowing that he had won.

Cardin recklessly charged his opponent again, swinging his mace from the side. Ash accepted the challenge and charged towards the larger teen as well, swinging his sword from the opposite side of Cardin's swing. Cardin fought against his momentum and spun, just dodging Ash's blade and slamming his mace to the back of the butler's head.

The force of the blow, added to his momentum, forced Ash to the ground and decreased his Aura by fifteen. Cardin stood over a dazed Ash and brought the mace down on his back. Ash's body was forced to the ground, the excess force of the blow cracking the floor below Ash's body. Cardin raised his mace again, but before he was able to swing it, Ash turned his body and brought his weapon across Cardin's cheek, making sure to turn it to the side, mimicking a blunt weapon, before it connected with the bully.

Cardin was forced to the side and was slightly dazed by the blow, and as he recovered, Ash got back on his feet, silently thanking his Aura. Cardin recovered from his daze and faced his opponent again. Cardin blinked and found Ash immediately cleared the distance, already swinging his sword towards Cardin. Unable to react in time, Cardin was helpless, the blade going across his chest again. Using the momentum of his attack, like yesterday, Ash spun around cutting Cardin once again across his chest, then another before kicking him away.

Cardin regained some of his composure, enough to swing his mace down on Ash. Cardin found himself smiling, but that smile immediately disappeared when he caught glance of Ash's eyes.

There was nothing but anger and hate in Ash's eyes. Ash pulled his body back and raised his armored left hand to meet with Cardin's mace. The large weapon was forced back, rending Cardin open to any form of attack.

Ash drove his blade across Cardin's stomach as if trying to split the teen in half. Cardin's midsection was forced back, causing his upper body to lurch forward. Pulling his blade back, Ash smashed his left fist to the back of Cardin's head. Before Cardin's body could hit the floor, Ash grabbed him by the neck. Ash lifted the large body well above his head.

"There is more than one way to silence someone Mister Winchester," Ash said in an ominous tone of voice. He pulled his blade back behind him and pointed the tip to Cardin's throat. The notion caused the audience to shiver in fear, seeing Ash in a new, darker, light – especially Weiss.

"ASH!" Weiss exclaimed before the butler could follow through with his attack. The look of hate on his face when he turned caused Weiss to flinch. Her own fearful expression forced Ash to realize that it was he that caused his mistress the distress that she's feeling.

Ash threw Cardin's body over the boundary of the arena, the larger body falling limp to the floor. The monitor above them read that Cardin's Aura meter was just above thirty percent, while Ash's stayed above half.

"The duel is finished," Miss Goodwitch announced, glaring at the supposed winner. "I'm severely disappointed in you Mister Valentine. Please remember that anger blinds you next time you fight someone."

Ash returned to his seat as the member of Team CRDL carried their leader back to his seat.

Like last time, Weiss was standing when Ash was returning to his seat. Only this time, her expression was the combination of disappointment and fear. Ash knelt down on one knee as he reached Weiss.

"I apologize Miss Schnee," he said, his voice dripping with guilt. Weiss tried her best to form a smile.

"What are you apologizing for Ash?" she asked, unconscious of the fear severely apparent in her voice.

"I apologize for scaring you Miss Schnee," he answered, standing up. "I'll excuse myself."

Ash walked towards the exit before being stopped by the professor.

"Mister Valentine, you are to report to Headmaster Ozpin's office later tonight."

"Yes Miss Goodwitch," Ash left the room, his destination no one knew.

"Weiss?" Ruby asked carefully, watching her partner slightly shiver in fear. "Are you ok?"

"I don't know," Weiss answered, wrapping her arms across her shoulders in vain attempt of stopping herself from shivering.

"Cardin said he'll delete the picture," Russel Thrush of Team CRDL announced to them, before going back to his seat.

"What picture?" Nora asked openly, unsure of who might know the answer.

"Cardin had a picture of Ash entering our dorm room last night," Ruby answered trying to calm her partner at the same time. "He used it to threaten Ash in to losing this rematch. But Weiss told Ash that he couldn't lose to Cardin."

"Why would the picture be a threat to Ash?" Jaune asked, looking at the door the butler exited from.

"Cause it could hurt the Schnee name," Yang answered, when the revelation hit her.

"I have to find Ash," Weiss announced, fear still apparent in her voice.

"Weiss," Ruby said in concern. "You can't even stop shaking."

"Give him time Weiss," Yang offered. "He'll be fine."

"No!" Weiss immediately rejected. "You don't understand Yang, Ash suffers more than anyone else in situations like this."

"Weiss," Pyrrha this time tried to convince her. "What's hurting him the most right now is you. You're scared of him. He left for you."

"Don't you think I know that? That's why I have to find him. I don't want him to leave."

Weiss exited the room, not caring about her professor's complaints against it.

She wandered around for a while, searching everywhere Ash might be. It was soon that she found herself at Ash's room. She gathered her courage and knocked.

"Ash? Are you in there?"

"Yes," Ash's voice sounded defeated from the other side of the door.

"I'm afraid of you Ash," she confessed. "I'm so afraid that I can't stop shaking."

There was no response.

"I could have never imagined that in the few months that I wasn't with you, you turned in to such an terrifying person."

Again, there was no response.

"Ash, open the door."

She waited, and waited, the minutes flying by her.

"Ash, open the door now. That's an order."

The door creaked open slightly. Weiss pushed the door wide-open and found Ash sitting by a large rectangular box.

"Ash?"

"Miss Schnee, tell me what to do."

"What?" Weiss asked unsure of what he had meant.

"Order me. Command me. Instruct me. Direct me."

"What's in the box?" she asked, ignoring what he was saying.

"The sword and bracer that Miss Winter sent me," he answered dispiritedly. "It was to help me. I was thinking of sending it back."

"My sister won't appreciate you sending it back, you know that."

"I do not care Miss Schnee," Weiss stood shocked. Not once had he ever uttered those words, but here he was now, on the verge of insulting her sister by refusing her help. "If having these only leads to me terrifying you, then I'd rather not have them. It matters not if the decision leads to my death."

"It does matter Ash."

"Not to me," he countered immediately.

"What if we happen to land ourselves in a dire situation, and you having a weapon to wield is the only difference between life and death?"

"I trained in hand to hand combat well before swordplay Miss Schnee. I will be able to secure your safety, even at the cost of my own. I am expendable Miss Schnee, one that was born to be your sword and shield."

Weiss leveled herself with Ash and embraced him.

"Never call yourself expendable again."

"You're shivering Miss Schnee."

"Cause I'm afraid of you."

"Order me to leave Beacon. That way, you wouldn't have to be afraid anymore."

"Would you like that Ash?"

Tears dammed her eyes, feeling her heart about to break if he answers 'yes.' Ash's body shook within her arms. The heiress dared not look at him, as she feared her tears would fall.

"No, Miss Schnee. I would not. I wish to stay with you."

"Then stay," Weiss told him, her heart beating faster. "Stay here with me, always."

"Thank you Miss Schnee."

"You overpowered Winchester so easily, how'd you do it?"

"I was angry," he answered hesitantly. Ash looked up at his mistress in deep regret. "All I wanted was to end him, to ensure that your name doesn't become stained by rumors. However, it looks like I was the one that stained your name instead."

"Don't burden yourself with such a trifle matter Ash. No one would have believed Winchester."

"I appreciate it the gesture Miss Schnee, but you don't have to lie to me."

"Lie?" Weiss asked, unsure of what gave it away. The Winchester name had power to it. While not as much as the Schnee name, it would have dealt damage definitely.

"Your eyes quiver and your nose flares when you lie," the butler had a small smile when he said that, but it quickly faded.

"They do not," Weiss complained, releasing the butler from her embrace and standing up. "I am a noble lady, I do not lie."

Ash laughed, albeit a bit brief, but it was enough to relieve the heiress, causing the tears in her eyes to flow ever so slowly. Ash stood up and embraced her.

"Thank you Weiss," he whispered softly.

The heiress could do nothing but wrap her arms around the boy as well, relishing the fact he had finally called her by her given name. And when he kissed her forehead, she could do nothing but sigh in content.


	5. Destroyer of Grimm

A few days has passed ever since the event with Cardin Winchester, but Ash has yet to speak a single word. The only thing that anyone was able to get out of him were body gestures such as pointing when asked for a location, and a nod or head shake for yes or no questions. The members of Team RWBY and JNPR were worried, though still cautious of the butler, except for Weiss. Some of them asked Weiss if Ash was alright, only to get a single answer over and over again.

"This is Ash's form of retribution. I won't get in his way."

However as the number of days increased, even Weiss started to get worried. By the fourth day, Weiss tried to force him to talk, but couldn't get even a hum.

By the fifth day, Weiss was nearly tearing her hair out. She was distracted in everything that she did, and almost every single moment, she was staring at him. Even now, during Professor Port's class, she did nothing but stare at him.

"Weiss," Ruby said with an extended sigh. "You're staring again."

"I can't help it Ruby," Weiss screeched, completely frustrated. "I'm worried about him. He's done this before, but it was under the order of my father. Even then it was only for a single day. How long has it been now?"

"It's been five," Ruby answered meekly.

"It's been five," Weiss echoed with authority.

"Did he say what he's trying to atone for?" Blake asked, flipping another page of her book.

"Yeah. He's trying atone for scaring all of us. He even sent back the sword and bracer my sister sent him as a start. Explaining to her why he sent it back when he didn't allow himself to speak was an absolute pain."

"If that's true," Ren offered. "Then maybe he's not speaking for another three days? If he plans to atone to all of us, then a day per person would make some sense."

"No," Weiss said in a threatening tone of voice. "We're going to force him to talk."

"How do you plan on doing that?" Blake asked, flipping another page of her beloved book. "You haven't ordered him to speak, so obviously there's a reason for it."

"I'm trying not to ask as much from him," Weiss answered, her voice showed a little guilt. "Not after last time."

Flashes of Ash's rage against Cardin made its way to each of their thoughts forcing a shiver of fear.

"So then, _how do_ you plan on making him talk?" Pyrrha asked the heiress.

"I don't know," Weiss admitted. "I was kind of thinking… we tie him up in our room until he speaks. I mean we could just tell everyone that I ordered him to go somewhere."

Everyone stared at her in shock. Weiss avoided all of their staring eyes and twirled the tip of her ponytail with a finger in a vain attempt of feigning innocence.

"Weiss," Blake said, putting her book down. "That is, in all sense of the word, kidnapping."

"No Kitty Cat," Yang said, putting a hand on her partner's shoulder. "That's love."

"Xiao Long I will not sit here and listen to you trying to force everyone to see in your point of view," Weiss complained, shaking her head at the blonde brawler.

"Weiss," Jaune chimed in, nervously. "You're pretty much the only one who doesn't see it that way."

"How dare you," Weiss said offended, glaring at the Arc boy. "The relationship between Ash and I is completely professional."

"Ahem," Ruby called attention to herself, smiling from ear to ear, and held up her scroll. On the screen was a picture of Weiss and Ash embracing in Ash's room. Ash's lips were on Weiss' forehead, with a content smile on Weiss.

"That is _completely_ professional," Yang said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Weiss glared at Yang, even though she couldn't help the blood that was rushing to her cheeks. "Hey, you were the one who said that a relationship between servant and master is common."

"He is not my servant Yang," Weiss tried to argue. "He is my childhood friend."

"Childhood friends don't follow the other's orders word per word," Yang argued back. "Why can't you just admit that you love him? He obviously loves you."

"In the way that you love Ruby."

"I never thought I'd ever see someone more oblivious than Jaune."

"Hey," Jaune complained but it went unheard.

"Why don't you guys just ask him yourself?" Nora suggested, pointing at the butler. "He's right there laughing at you guys."

Sure enough, Ash sat there with his head propped up by his right arm, silently laughing at the argument between the two teammates.

"Ash, do you like Weiss?" Yang asked. The butler halted his laughing, but keeping a smile, and looked at the brawler quizzically with his head tilted to the side. He nodded once in response.

"Ok, that's a start," Yang confirmed patiently. "Now, do you love Weiss?"

The butler chuckled a bit before nodding again in response.

"Do you love Weiss in the same way I love Ruby?"

The butler laughed silently for a bit longer, before shaking his head 'no.' Weiss' body stiffened a little as a victorious smile formed on Yang.

"Now for the finishing blow. Do you love Weiss in a romantic way?"

Ash looked at his mistress, who looked back at him intensely, anticipating his answer like the rest of Team RWBY and Team JNPR. Ash opened his mouth to verbally answer, at the excitement of the group, but was interrupted by the professor at the front of the room.

"Mister Valentine," Ash quickly directed his attention to the teacher. "I understand that you have never fought a creature of Grimm before, correct?"

Ash nodded, confused as to what the professor has in store.

"Then how about you fight one now?" Professor Port unveiled a cage with a Beowolf ramming its body against the bars of the heavy cage as it was engulfed in light.

Ash said nothing but instead replaced both his usual gloves with a pair of metal gloves as he made his way to the front. Ash stood ten yards from the cage, as the Beowolf's eyes trained on him.

"Are you nervous Mister Valentine?" the old professor asked, his smile hidden by his rather large mustache. Ash gave him an unsure nod, making the professor laugh. With a swing of his axe bladed blunderbuss, the lock holding the Grimm inside was demolished.

Without missing a beat, the Grimm lunged at Ash, clearing the ten-yard distance easily in a single bound. It brought both claws down on Ash, only striking the ground as Ash jumped back.

Ash jabbed at the Beowolf on its bone-armored head, but it only managed to anger the Grimm. The Beowolf swiped at the butler, missing again as its target jumped back once more.

"He needs a weapon," Jaune said worried about Ash. "There's no way he can beat that thing without one."

"Jaune, think about it from his point of view," Pyrrha told her partner. "He's already punishing himself because he wielded one."

"He can manage," Nora said carefree, completely believing in the butler's abilities. "He took down Cardin without one."

"Cardin's human Nora," Ren explained to his childhood friend. "Ash knows about the anatomy and physiology of the human and Faunus body and its weaknesses. He's probably had experience against other humans and Faunus before. The Grimm have vastly different muscle and bone structure. If he's never fought any creature of Grimm before, then it would pose a problem."

"But you were able to take down a King Taiju without StormFlower," Nora countered. "He can take down a Beowolf no problem."

"You know," Jaune admitted. "Sometimes I think that it would be great to be as optimistic as Nora is."

"Thank you fearless leader," Nora said smiling from ear to ear.

The Beowolf got on its hind legs and started to swing at Ash with its claws, alternating from left to right, only varying in the locations it target on Ash's body. Ash could do nothing other than dodge the attacks. Ash jumped back, earning him some distance from the creature instead of staying inside of its kill range.

Ash turned around and ran, hearing the Beowolf scrape its claws on the floor as it ran after him. Ash turned around once more, using his momentum from the run to allow him some more distance. The Grimm leaped at him, its jaws aimed at his jugular for an instant kill.

Ducking just under the teeth and claws of the Beowolf, Ash threw a straight at the defenseless throat of the Beowolf, the momentum of its leap adding to Ash's natural strength.

The Beowolf was thrown a yard backwards, blood flowing from its mouth from its crushed esophagus. It squirmed on the ground, clutching its throat as best as it could with its claws.

Ash quickly mounted it and struck its chest over and over again, crushing its ribs, lungs, and eventually its heart. Ash got off the Grimm as it started to disintegrate.

"Well done Mister Valentine," the professor praised. "For someone who has never fought Grimm before, you took it down rather spectacularly. Tell me, who taught to you hand to hand combat?"

When the butler didn't respond, Professor Port started to worry if he had asked something he shouldn't have.

"Professor," Ruby answered from her seat. "He hasn't spoken for five days. Not since he had his rematch with Cardin."

"Ah yes," Professor Port said understandingly. "I've heard about his feat from Glynda. Thank you Miss Rose."

Ash took a step towards his seat, but the professor held out his hand in front of him, stopping him in his tracks.

"Alright," the professor announced to the class. "Now, can anyone tell me the fatal error that Mister Valentine made?"

"He showed his back to the Beowolf," Weiss answered, staring critically at Ash. "In a real life situation, there wouldn't be just one Beowolf, there would be a pack. If he had turned his back then, he would have lost his life."

"Correct. Remember this class, the very second you turn your eyes away from the enemy you mark yourselves for death. Now, Mister Valentine. It was your first time facing off against a creature of Grimm, but your nervousness was another of fatal flaw. The Grimm feed off negativity, and thus are attracted to it."

"He's singling him out," Jaune conveyed quietly. "Announcing all of his flaws like that."

"The professor is only pointing out his mistakes," Weiss defended, turning her attention to Jaune for a brief moment as she did. "Ash needs to learn everything that we do when it comes to Grimm. If it were the initiation, Ash would've died. It's times like these that Ash is incompetent."

"Wow Weiss," Yang said, feeling bad for Ash. "And here I was under the impression that you were satisfied with everything that he did."

"If I were satisfied Xiao Long, then I wouldn't have had a problem with allowing him to attend Beacon with me from the beginning."

"Can anyone else point out any other mistakes that Mister Valentine made?" Professor Port asked. Once again, Weiss raised her voice to comment.

"He tried to attack the Beowolf as if he would attack a human or Faunus," the heiress said in the same critical tone of voice as earlier. "While it worked, it was inefficient. It left him open to any attack."

"Well done Miss Schnee," the professor beamed. "So Mister Valentine, do you think you've learned anything from the Miss Schnee's comments?"

Ash gave him a nod for confirmation.

"Well then," the professor pressed a button from his desk and two more cages appeared. "Care to try again?"

Once again, Ash gave him a nod.

"Wait a minute professor," Jaune quickly tried to intervene, but was stopped by none other than Weiss.

"Professor Port knows what he's doing Arc," she defended the professor once again. "He'll step in if Ash manages to get himself cornered."

Jaune sat back down, hoping that she was right.

Professor Port removed the tarps covering the two cages, and the Beowolves in them roared and slammed their bodies against the cages, like the first one. Ash slammed the metal of his gloves together to taunt the two Beowolves to ensure that neither attacks the spectators.

With a single swing of his weapon, Professor Port released the two Beowolves. Once released from the confines of their prison, they got on all fours and ran towards Ash, one of them jumping as it got closer.

Ash jumped back as he did before, dodging the Beowolf in the air, but lost focus on the Beowolf that hadn't jumped. The Beowolf swiped its claw at Ash, catching the boy by surprise once it got in his line of sight. Raising both arms towards the claw, Ash managed to block it, but the claw still managed to graze him tearing at his clothing, his Aura being the only reason that his arm hadn't been wounded.

The force of the blow knocked Ash back a few yards, his body turning numb for a moment or two. Ash moved in to attack the Beowolf that landed a blow on him, but the other leaped in to the air once again outside of Ash's line of sight, and bit in to his left shoulder, putting all of its weight in a vain attempt to force the teen to the ground.

"ASH!" Ruby exclaimed as the rest of them stood up to help, only to be held back by Weiss. "Weiss? What are you doing?"

"Ash has to learn how to deal with Grimm," Weiss said in a stern tone of voice. "The professor will deal with it should he be pushed in to a corner."

The second Beowolf moved in to attack Ash again while the first kept him grounded. Unable to dodge, Ash caught a claw to his abdomen, tearing the articles of clothing there as well.

Ash tried to pry himself free from the jaws of the first Beowolf, ignoring the attacks from the second. In a muted yell of frustration, Ash managed to open the Beowolf's jaw enough for him to slip out. Ash tried to get in to a fighting stance, but caught a claw to the lower back from the second Beowolf.

Ash rolled away, getting both Beowolves in his line of sight. Both Beowolves once again moved in to attack. Splitting up to the sides to attack Ash from both sides.

Ash moved to the side to meet the first Beowolf. It swiped at him, but he managed to catch the claw and turned to meet the second Beowolf. Driving the claw he caught through the chest of the second, Ash jumped up. In a final attack, the second Beowolf opened its jaws and tried to bite Ash.

Like the first Beowolf's attack, Ash redirected the attack to the other. The second Beowolf sunk its teeth in to the neck of the first, as Ash tried to roll away. Unfortunately, the second Beowolf swiped at him with its clawed hand, and managed to drive it across Ash's chest, knocking the teen to the ground a yard away.

The first Beowolf pushed the disintegrating body of the now dead Beowolf, and turned to Ash, who was still lying on the ground. It pounced on the butler, continuously swiping its claws at Ash, who managed to raise his arms in time to block its attacks only preventing a small amount of damage. The Grimm's claws and overall strength still managed to steadily drain the teen's Aura.

"ASH!" Ruby yelled in concern once again, and tried to move in to help the boy, but was once again stopped by Weiss, who looked liked she was ready to turn the Beowolf into a million chunks of ice, but out of respect for the professor, didn't.

Ash pushed the Beowolf away with his feet. He quickly stood up and got in to a fighting stance. He knew that he had ran out of Aura as he felt blood trickling to the floor from his arms. He quickly rushed the Beowolf, throwing blows at its temples, liver, and diaphragm.

The Beowolf raised its arms, aiming its claws up, and drove both across Ash's chest and abdomen, thankfully not too deep. Ash's body reeled back at the attack, his blood flowing out from the wounds inflicted.

The Beowolf took its chance, and pounced at Ash. The butler quickly took a fighting stance, and managed to move his head from the attack. Ash drove his right fist to the Beowolf's jugular, crushing its esophagus. The Grimm writhed on the ground trying desperately to get air in its lungs.

Ash grabbed the Grimm's head and twisted it, snapping the creature's neck. As it disintegrated, Ash stood up, clutching his stomach as if it helped stop the blow flow.

"Very sloppy Mister Valentine," the professor commented. "You nearly lost your life. Can you make it to the infirmary?"

Ash nodded once before making his way to the door. Ruby quickly moved past Weiss to help Ash. He looked towards her, and shook his head 'no.' Ruby stopped, and just watched Ash exit.

"Ruby get back in your seat," Weiss told her as she sat back down.

"How can you be so cold Weiss?" Ruby asked her, as if she was insane. "Isn't Ash your friend?"

"Sit down Ruby," Weiss ignored her question. "You're causing a scene."

"What is wrong with you?" Yang asked, her eyes turning red as she glared down the heiress. "He doesn't speak to you for a few days and suddenly he's public enemy number one?"

"That is completely unrelated to the matter," Weiss defended, glaring back at the brawler. "Ash needs experience fighting Grimm, it's as simple as that."

"Miss Schnee is right," Professor Port agreed. Everyone's attention was directed to him. "While Mister Valentine has a vast knowledge on how to deal with and counter both humans and Faunus alike, his knowledge on dealing with Grimm is next to nothing."

"But that is still too much," Yang argued. Weiss shook her head at the blonde's ignorance.

"Did Ash, at any point, show any sign of giving up?" Weiss asked them all, standing up to ensure that her voice carries throughout the room. When no one answered, she sat back down. "In a fight, Ash is a kinesthetic learner. If any of you had stepped in, he wouldn't have learned as much as he did. Besides, Professor Port would've stepped if Ash needed it."

"Actually Miss Schnee," Professor Port said, scratching his chin awkwardly. "We've been told by your Father to never assist Mister Valentine during class."

"And you all agreed to that?" Weiss asked, slightly enraged. "Why? I thought Beacon doesn't do special cases?"

"And we don't Miss Schnee," the professor said, his voice getting a bit frustrated. "But Mister Valentine was the one who relayed this request to us. It was his own request but with your father's support."

"And no one—" Weiss started, but was very quickly interrupted by the professor, who accidently raised his voice at her.

"Of course we tried to convince him against it! The needless dangers, the stupidity of it all! The boy would and will not sway."

The students flinched in shock, even the ones who were asleep till now, at the sudden boom of Professor Port's voice.

"I'm sorry Miss Schnee," the professor apologized, ashamed for raising his voice at a student. "It is our duty to protect you students, and keep you from any unnecessary danger. In Mister Valentine's case, Ozpin, Bart, Glynda, Peach, and I can't help but feel especially frustration whenever that boy involved."

"Then why did you let him fight?" Weiss asked, furious.

"Because Miss Schnee, after that first Beowolf, I thought that he may actually be a natural Hunter. It turned out that I was wrong."

"So if we ask for it we can get the same deal?" Jaune asked, even though it was a deal that he wouldn't take. "Or maybe something else?"

"No," Professor Port answered bluntly. "Ozpin himself agreed to this, because he can see something in the boy that we ourselves cannot. Wherever this path may lead Mister Valentine, Ozpin believes in him, and so shall we."

"Why would he ask for that?" Blake found herself asking out loud.

"To catch up to Weiss," Pyrrha answered in a daze. The heiress looked to her, along with everyone else, as if asking her to explain, even though she feared she already knew why. "I mean if we were to think about it, Ash only devotes himself to serving Weiss. In his mind he probably thought what use is he if he was to just get in her way."

"Alright," Professor Port said. "Let's get class started again. Team RWBY and JNPR please take your seats."

The students did as they were told and took their seat. Ruby looked at Weiss worried, as she looked like she was preparing to run through the door and after Ash as she did before.

An hour passed and the class ended, Weiss remained in her seat through all of it. Once Team RWBY and Team JNPR exited, the most apparent change in the halls was the blood trail that led to the infirmary.

"Should we…" Nora started, only to let whatever she was going to say die in her throat when she looked at the guilty expression on Weiss.

"No," Ren answered. " _We_ shouldn't go, but Weiss should."

"I'm not going," Weiss told him, already walking towards Doctor Oobleck's class. "If you guys want to go, then go."

"But Weiss," Ruby complained, only for the heiress to ignore it. Yang placed her hand on Ruby's shoulder, slightly glaring at Yang.

"Let her go Ruby," Yang told her, her grip on Ruby's shoulder tightening slightly. "She just doesn't care like she used to."

"Give her a break Yang," Blake defended. "She just can't face Ash right now. And I don't think Ash can either."

"I agree with Blake," Jaune chimed in. "You have to remember, Ash is still a teen like the rest of us. He probably wanted to prove something to Weiss, but ended up… you know."

"You're saying that Ash is embarrassed?" Nora asked, confused.

"No Nora," Ren answered her once again. "He's saying that Ash fears that he had disappointed Weiss."

"Shouldn't you kids head to class?" the voice of Professor Ozpin echoed in the quiet hall, as he walked over the group. "I understand Bart can be a little bit… excited, but he is still your teacher."

'Professor Ozpin," Ruby called out in shock. "We were just… uh."

"Ash is fine," the professor reassured them, guessing what they were talking about. "He's been bandaged up and was sent to his room to rest. His injuries have left him drained of energy. Last I checked he was sleeping soundly. Though our clean up crew won't be happy with all this blood."

"Professor?" Pyrrha asked, the headmaster looking up at his student from the blood trail. "Why did you agree to Ash's request?"

"Ash is… a special case," Professor Ozpin answered, carefully choosing his words. "He wants to rush his progress by taking away all of the safety procedures that Beacon has, and yes, this is a request that normally wouldn't be allowed, his semblance puts him in the same precarious position whether or not we agreed to it."

"His semblance?" Jaune asked, interested in learning more.

"Yes, Mister Arc. His semblance is… unique though, as I said before, precarious. Now look what you had me do. Get to class, now."

"Yes Professor," they all said, with varying tones of voice. They all made their way to Doctor Oobleck's class, while Ozpin went the opposite way.

"Oh and do me a favor," Ozpin called out, stopping the group momentarily. "Tell Miss Schnee that Ash is alright. Oum knows that she needs to hear that the most right now."

"Yes Professor," Ruby agreed. They all ran to their class, barely making it in time. The doctor greeted them, and motioned them all to take their seats. Ruby sat next to Weiss who was already prepared to take any necessary notes for the class.

Weiss expression was stoic, almost as if the previous class had never happened.

"Hey Weiss," Ruby whispered as the doctor started to lecture at a severely fast pace. "Professor Ozpin wanted me to tell you that Ash is fine."

"I know that you fool," Weiss told her sternly. Ruby's soft stare turned in to a slight glare.

"You know, apparently," Ruby ignored her statement, and tried to make her sway. "His injuries caused him to pass out."

"As would anyone who bled that much," Weiss said as she took wrote down something that the doctor said.

"They sent him to his room to sleep."

"I see," Weiss took wrote another statement that Doctor Oobleck said. "I'm surprised they didn't let him sleep in the infirmary."

"Weiss, do you even care?"

Weiss didn't answer, instead wrote another statement from the doctor. After a few minutes of silence between the two, Weiss let out a sigh.

"I do care Ruby," she admitted, gaining the cloaked girl's attention. "But right now, I'm frustrated. Ash is like a little child at times."

Weiss looked at her leader and remembered that she was just a child, as well. Ruby stared at her, and Weiss just shook her head.

"Yeah," Weiss continued to explain. "Like a child. He's reckless despite those refined manners of his. He's willing to throw away everything he has left to reach his goal."

"What's wrong with that?" the leader asked, confused as to what Weiss deems wrong in the situation. "He has ambition, but so do we. The thing he's doing now is something that we've all probably been through."

"The 'thing' that Ash is trying to do is to fly through years of training in a matter of days," Weiss commented. "You can't just suddenly show up to take the cumulative exam of a class and pass without even being introduced to the subject."

"Uh, what?" Ruby asked, trying to piece together Weiss' analogy. Weiss let out a sigh, and thought for a bit.

"Ok, then how about this. You can't hope to dip a rather large cookie into a small glass of milk."

"So Ash is the glass of milk?"

"Yes."

"And the cookie is training."

"Years of training, yes."

"I think I'm following."

"Alright," Weiss gave the girl time to take in every aspect of the analogy. "Now, what would happen if someone tried to force the cookie in anyway?"

"The glass would… break," Ruby's eyes widened, as she understood what Weiss was trying to say. She looked to Weiss with a horrified expression. "Ash… is going to die?"

"If that deal is to remain, then yes."

"Why not just order him to break the deal then?" Jaune suddenly offered. "Sorry, didn't mean to listen in."

Weiss opened her mouth to say something, but decided to let it go.

"I thought about it, but I feel conflicted."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, concerned about the battle, taking place inside Weiss' head.

"She means that a part of her wants Ash to catch up as soon as he can," Jaune explained, both girls staring at Jaune; Ruby stared, asking for a more detailed explanation, while Weiss stared in shock of the knight's brilliant intuition. "Even if he has to use this method, am I right?"

Weiss couldn't do anything but nod.

"Why?" Ruby couldn't help, but ask. Weiss flinched at her question, looking as if a needle was stuck in her.

"I don't see Ash as just my equal," Weiss confessed, though choosing her words very carefully. "I see him as a rival too. Ever since I started to train as a Huntress and Ash trained to be my guard, we started to have sparring sessions almost every night. I was never able to defeat him."

"Well you trained to deal with Grimm," Jaune offered. "Ash trained to deal with people."

"At first, I thought the exact same thing, but after being defeated several times, I couldn't help but notice the gap between our abilities. Sure he had General Ironwood train him in hand to hand, but he later strayed from what he was taught, using his knowledge of the human body to further enhance his abilities.

"Isn't that what we're supposed to learn anyway?" Jaune asked, turning an ear to the professor, testing if there's something he could use in his fighting. Unfortunately, he wasn't, but was instead preaching about some mountain.

"Yes, but when has anyone in history who used hand to hand to go against and defeat someone with a weapon?" Weiss challenged. Jaune thought for a second before finally shaking his head in defeat – though his knowledge in history wasn't much to boast about anyway.

"So what?" Ruby said, playing it all of as not so impressive feat. "It still doesn't change the fact that he is trained to deal with humans."

"That's exactly why Ruby," Jaune said, as he started to put each piece in its place. "In the past, they were trained to combat different opponents, but now—"

"They both fight the Grimm," Ruby finished. Weiss nodded. "Ok, now this is getting exciting. A rivalry indeed."

"Master or servant," Jaune added, trying to sound like a dramatic announcer. "Who is the better destroyer of Grimm?"

"Ooh," Ruby cooed, getting excited as she imagined Ash and Weiss on an arena surrounded by Grimm, and slaughtering them all. Above them, the monitor displays two numbers increasing ever second, tallying how many Grimm has each of them slayed. "Now that's exciting."

"You three!" The doctor called out. Ruby, Weiss, and Jaune all looked up with their backs as straight as possible. Doctor Oobleck eyed them all carefully. "Care to share what you have been talking about?"

"We were just talking about the rivalry between Ash and Weiss sir," Ruby admitted, breaking under the glare of the doctor. The doctor loosened his stare a slight bit.

"Ash and Weiss have been sparring since they started their training," Ruby continued, her rambling getting faster and faster nearly matching that of the professor's. "And since Ash was trained to fight against other people and Weiss was trained to fight against Grimm, Ash always won. But now that they're both fighting Grimm, it seemed like more of a fair match up. So we were wondering who was the better 'Destroyer of Grimm.'"

"Hmmm, I see," the doctor said, contemplating what Ruby had just said. "Yes, that would be rather interesting. But that does not change the fact that you were not paying attention in class."

"But we were sir," Jaune lied, regretting the decision to speak when the doctor turned his attention to him.

"Then I suppose you could tell me the topic of my class today," the professor tested.

"Mountain Glenn, sir," Jaune answered. The doctor nodded.

"Well done Jaune," The doctor praised. "I'm sorry for doubting you. And you Ruby, what did I say about Mountain Glenn?"

"It's one of the Kingdom's greatest failures," Ruby replied, confidently. "An expansion of Vale that was unfortunately overran by Grimm."

"Alright, I guess you were paying attention after all. How about another piece of information from you Miss Schnee."

"It stands abandoned, slowly crumbling until there's nothing left," Weiss remembered when Ash found out about it, and simply recited what he had told her then. "It serves as dark reminder, to ensure that no such thing would happen again. The blueprints of Mountain Glenn states that there are train tracks that ran under the city, and when the Grimm started to take it over, many tried to use those to escape. Unfortunately, cave-ins caused by Grimm blocked the exits."

"You seem well informed Miss Schnee," Doctor Oobleck praised. He then looked over at the sleeping Team CRDL "Something that many lack."

"Thank you Doctor."

"How did the two of you know that topic when you don't pay attention in class?" Weiss whispered to the two. Jaune and Ruby merely pointed down at Weiss' notes.

"Oh and one more thing," The doctor announced in a loud voice. "Let's get this out of the way now. I've got one hundred lien on Miss Schnee."

The proclamation stunned the students. And soon, some started cheering and shouting their bets, especially one Yang Xiao Long.

"You're on Doc," Yang said excitedly. "I've got one hundred on Ash. No offense Weiss, but I want the Doc's money."

"Yang, betting against your teammate?" Blake asked, even as she handed over her partner's one hundred and her seventy-five lien to the professor. "Placing my bet on Ash, Doctor."

"Hey!" Weiss complained, glaring at Yang and Blake. "Why is it Ash?"

"Weiss has a point Yang," Blake said, purposely teasing her teammate. "I mean she could just order Ash to throw the match."

"How dare you?" Weiss raised her voice so that it echoed across the room. "I wouldn't do such a disgraceful thing."

'Oohs' carried across the classroom, the professor smiling at the chaos that he had caused. The shouts, arguments, and overall merriments could even be heard in the halls.

"Me against Miss Schnee, huh?" Ash asked as he entered the room with a smile. He was outside of his normal formal suit, and was in a plain black sleeveless shirt and a pair of dark jeans. His hands were still inside a pair of gloves and still wore a pair of black dress shoes. His arms were completely covered in bandages, and many can guess that his body was as well. "It's been a while since I sparred against my mistress."

"Ash," Weiss called almost in a whisper. He faced her and dropped to his knee slowly, not wanting to open his wounds.

"I'm sorry for the poor performance earlier Miss Schnee," Ash apologized.

"He's talking now?" Yang asked, completely voiding any of the tension between the two.

"I was only atoning for terrifying Miss Schnee in my fight against Mister Winchester," Ash answered. "As she is my only mistress now, I have increased my usual punishment by five. As of a few minutes ago, it has been 120 hours since my mistake.

"What about the rest of us?" Blake asked, faking concern for the matter, but Ash didn't see it as fake.

"Then for five days, I shall make Miss Xiao Long Strawberry Sunrise once per day."

"I'm in," Yang immediately agreed, already thinking of the drinks.

"For Miss Rose, a batch of cookies every morning for the next five days."

"Deal!" Ash immediately got an answer from the tiny leader.

"And for you Miss Belladonna, how does tuna based dinners suit you?"

"You really think that's going to work for me?" Blake asked, a little offended that he thought that bringing up tuna would work on her. Even though the thought of it was enough to make her mouth water a little.

"Then how about I throw in an autographed copy of the eight installment of… your favorite series. _She_ happens to be a friend of mine."

"You know…" Blake started, but soon lost her ability to form words. Ash nodded, and Blake managed to form just one word. "DEAL!"

Ash laughed a little, wincing as his injuries prevented his chest from moving so much. Finally, he looked at Weiss.

"Is there anything a little more specific you would like Miss Schnee?"

Weiss said nothing as she made her way to Ash. Her teammates smiled as she embraced Ash lightly, fearing any harder would open his recently closed wounds.

"Nullify your deal with Beacon," Weiss said in a quiet voice so that only Ash could hear her. "And call me by my name like before at least once more. Those are the only things that I want right now."

"As you wish Weiss," Ash said, not bothering to lower his voice, the rest of his friends hearing what he had just said. Ruby almost couldn't contain her tears of joy. Yang and Blake formed a heart with their hands, each creating a half of it.

"Oh, Ash?" Weiss said as if she forgot to say something. Pulling herself away from the butler, she put her hand on his chest. Ash smiled at her, and waited for her to speak again.

She slapped him as hard as she could, sending the boy to the floor, some of his chest wounds opening, bleeding once again and rending the boy unconscious.

"I thought I told you to never worry me like that ever again!" she exclaimed, as the doctor, and the students all stared at her with mouths agape as if she had just blown up Vale.

"Oh and one more thing," she said, her smile as innocent as a young child's. "I win."


	6. A Human I Shall Be

Ash's vision blurred as he slowly opened his eyes. He sat up and looked around the dark room. It took him a second to realize that it was his room, though he last remembers being slapped by Weiss during Doctor Oobleck's class. He remembered feeling the wounds on his chests bleeding, and quickly looked down at it.

He was still in his black shirt, and the bandages underneath had traces of long dried blood, silently thanking his Aura for healing the wounds while he slept. Though either way, he still needed to replace the used bandages. He let out a sigh as he got out of bed, hoping that the infirmary was still open, or if not, then at least a staff member was still awake to let him get some new bandages.

His feet touched the ground, blinking his eyes a few times to get rid of his blurred vision. He dared not move when his vision went back to normal. Team RWBY was sleeping on the floor with their sleeping mats.

A frustrated sigh escaped Ash's lips. Carefully moving around each one of them, not wanting to wake any of the girls up, Ash exited the room in to the unlit hall outside. It only took him a matter of minutes to get to the infirmary, but to his luck the door was locked.

"Ash?" the voice of Professor Ozpin echoed in the silent hall. "Are you alright?"

"I am headmaster," Ash replied, turning to see Ozpin standing there with his iconic coffee mug and cane in hand. "I'm just looking to replace my bandages."

"Here, let me unlock it for you," the headmaster offered as he fished out his scroll and unlocked the door with it. "Why you refused to stay in the infirmary in the first place is beyond me. This could have been avoided. Come on, I'll change your bandages for you."

"I know sir," Ash agreed as he and Ozpin entered. "But if I were to stay here, I would not be of any use to Miss Schnee. Besides sir, it shouldn't have taken long for my Aura to recover and heal whatever is left of my wounds."

"Ash, I doubt Weiss fully appreciates you constantly putting yourself in danger," Ozpin preached as he put the mug down on a counter, before grabbing a roll of gauze from the shelf, while Ash sat down at the nearest bed.

"She doesn't need to," Ash replied rather solemnly. "I'm simply trying to make her happy."

"Many would kill for someone as loyal as you," Ozpin praised, making his way to the boy. Ash took of his shirt, cautious of the secret he's been hiding for so long. "Weiss is lucky to have someone like you."

"I appreciate the kind words sir, though I fear I've been nothing but a worrisome bother to her for the past few days"

"And with good reason, don't you agree?" Ozpin asked the boy, as he removed the bloody bandages.

"I do, but my choices were to either be a bother now, or a hindrance later."

"Ash," the headmaster called as the last of Ash's bandages fell to the floor. Two rather noticeable black stumps protruding an inch each from the teen's back. Ozpin shook his head, before he spoke again. "Maybe you ought to consider telling her the truth if you want to continue to stay by her side."

"I know concealing them is only a temporary solution," Ash admitted, reaching back to touch one of the vertical stumps, sending a jolt throughout his body. "Miss Belladonna and I are similar in that way, but revealing the entire truth to her will only push her away from me."

"Nonsense," Ozpin countered, wrapping the stumps with gauze, causing them both to lie flat against Ash's back. "True, the truth may turn Weiss away from you, but that would only be temporary. In the end of the day, you will always be Weiss Schnee's most loyal companion, Ash Valentine."

"I can only hope she sees it that way headmaster," Ash said in a tired whisper. Ozpin finished replacing Ash's bandages, stood up and grabbed his mug. Ash put his shirt back on, and let out a sigh. "Oh and headmaster, one more thing."

"Bart has informed the staff about our deal Ash," Ozpin admitted, taking a sip of coffee. "From this point on, you are just another student of Beacon who has little to no training in fighting Grimm. Good luck, Glynda will more than likely push you harder than before."

"She was holding back even though I asked her not to?" Ash asked, a smile forming on him at the thought of a defiant Glynda Goodwitch.

"She's not exempt from the rules Ash, but that doesn't mean she has her own ways of bending them."

"Miss Goodwitch is more cunning that I thought," Ash laughed.

"And she will be a lot more merciless if you continue to laugh," Glynda Goodwitch entered the room, slamming the door open as she did. "Even though that horrendous deal has been nullified, what we spoke of five nights ago is still in play Mister Valentine. I sure hope you haven't forgotten."

"We were talking about that earlier Glynda," Ozpin admitted to her. "But nevertheless, it is his choice when to tell her the truth."

"She will find out sooner or later," Glynda preached, crossing her arms across her chest. "A decision will be reached."

"And when she does," Ash said confidently. "It'll be because I told her myself."

"Mister Valentine, I understand that you made several promises last you were awake," Professor Goodwitch said, bringing out a small package and a letter from behind her back. "I've informed Miss Patty Berdioler and she sent these."

Ash accepted the package and letter, putting the package down as he examined the letter. He opened the letter and laughed at the brief letter.

 _Ash,_

 _With this I don't owe you anything anymore. This wasn't supposed to be released till next fall, so please tell your friend to not tell anyone about the book under any circumstance._

 _Free from you,_

 _Patty Berdioler_

"You have my thanks Miss Goodwitch," Ash thanked, causing the young professor to smile.

"Consider it a sort of thank you for nullifying that deal," Glynda told the young butler. Her eyes wandered to the clock in the room. "It's nearly eight Mister Valentine. I believe you promised Miss Rose cookies every morning?"

"Thank you for the reminder Miss Goodwitch, I'll come by your room later tonight and give you a massage as thanks."

"Best accept Glynda," Ozpin urged his companion. "Oum knows how rare such a thing is with everything that's happening these days."

"Yes, I know Professor Ozpin," Glynda said with a sigh, trying to loosen her stiff muscles. "As rare as a dragon based Faunus."

"Hey," Ash said somewhat offended, as he made his towards the door. "We're supposed to be extinct remember?"

"Speaking of which," Ozpin said, remembering something. "When will you tell Bart about your little secret? We certainly can't keep this secret between the three of us for long."

"I'll tell the doctor today," Ash answered, feeling guilty about having technically lied to the doctor. "I regret having kept it a secret from him, but I couldn't risk having anyone else know, especially Miss Schnee."

"Oh young love," Glynda said with a longing smile. Ash exited the room, but she still called out to him, raising her voice to ensure that he hears her. "When will you tell that girl you're in love with her?"

"Around the time you accept the fact that there are still people pairing you up with General Ironwood in their fan fictions Glynda," Ash replied back, his voice echoing in the hallway. Ozpin chuckled as Glynda moves to the door quickly to try and catch the teen, only to see that he had already disappeared.

* * *

Ruby's eyes shot wide open as the scent of fresh baked cookies reached her. She shot up from her sleeping mat and looked around the room, searching for the source of the scent that's assaulting her nose. At the doorway, she found Ash still in the same outfit he was wearing the day before, standing there with a tray of steaming cookies in his hands, staring at her as if she was the strangest normal thing that he had ever seen.

"You really do love cookies, don't you Miss Rose?" the butler asked as the cloaked girl rushed to him and tried to rip the tray from his hands. Unfortunately – or fortunately, depending on who you can sympathize with more – Ash managed to put the tray just out of reach. "Miss Rose, please contain yourself. I promised you a batch of cookies every morning, but do eat breakfast first. You'll spoil your appetite."

"What's going on?" Blake asked as she woke from her slumber, her cat ears twitching at the sound of struggle between the butler and the cookie monster. It was around this time, that Yang and Weiss stirred from their slumber as well.

"What's with all the noise?" Yang asked, rubbing her eyes and stretching. Her eyes focused on her sister, scaling Ash, trying to snatch the tray of cookies from his hand. How the boy hasn't dropped the tray yet, was a miracle.

"Ash, it's best if you give it to her now," Weiss advised as she herself stretched her stiff body.

"If you say so Miss Schnee," Ash replied, grunting as the leader of Team RWBY clawed and hit him in a vain attempt of forcing him to unhand the tray.

"Miss Rose," he managed to get out, grunting at her hits and balancing the tray, ensuring that nothing fell out. "If you'd kindly and calmly get down, I'll give you the cookies."

Ruby stopped struggling and climbed down, holding out her arms when her feet hit the floor.

"Hand over the goods," Ruby threatened, glaring at Ash.

"Be careful Miss Rose," Ash warned, gently placing the cool metal of the tray on Ruby's hands. "The batch was baked only a few minutes ago. It may still be hot."

Ruby ignored the butler, took the tray with both hands, and zoomed past everything to the far corner of the room. Ash stared at Ruby devouring the three-dozen baked goods with unbelievable speed. Ash let out a sigh, before exiting the room once more to enter the room again within a few moments, wheeling in a cart of breakfast foods, before shutting the door once more.

"I figured I'd thank you all for taking care of me," Ash said, bringing in some small circular tables that he politely 'borrowed' from the kitchen. The members of Team RWBY sat down at the tables as Ash served them with varying breakfast foods, from egg white omelets to pancakes.

"Ash," Yang said, swallowing a bite of pancakes. "After we graduate from Beacon, you are absolutely leaving Weiss and marrying me."

"Xiao Long," Weiss warned, glaring at her teammate taking a bite of her omelet. "Stop flirting with my butler."

"Don't worry about it Ice Queen," Yang said with a smile, continuing to eat her breakfast. "We'll move to Haven. I heard from Pyrrha that polygamy is legal over there."

"Oh yes," Ash suddenly remembered the package he had received from Miss Goodwitch. Reaching under the cart he brought in, Ash took out the package and handed it to Blake. "As promised Miss Belladonna."

Blake looked up from the muffin she was eating and her eyes grew as big as planets. She swallowed dryly, causing her to cough uncontrollably. Ash quickly handed her a glass of water, which she accepted gratefully. One she managed to regain her composure, she took the package.

"Is this…?" She started to ask, but quickly lost how to form words once again. Ash only nodded and stood back. Blake ripped the package open and saw the cover. "Yang, count me in for that Haven plan of yours."

"Not you too," Weiss complained, an exasperated sigh escaping from her lips.

"Oh Miss Belladonna," Ash remembered the request of Patty Berdioler. " _She_ would like you to keep quiet about the book as it isn't supposed to be released until next fall."

Blake could only nod furiously as she opened up the book and began read the first chapter of her new book.

"Miss Belladonna," Ash said smiling at the eagerness of the Faunus. "I realize that you love to read, but please eat first. I'm sure the ninja master and the young woman can wait for their story to be read."

"You don't know that," Blake childishly countered. Ash gave up with a sigh. He made his way to the window, opened it, and simply stood by it, saying nothing more.

Team RWBY continued to eat, taking their time to enjoy breakfast, talking casually, completely forgetting that they are in Ash's room; except for Blake who devoured the book in hand and mostly kept quiet, only inquiring in conversations that she was forcefully involved in.

"Hey Ash," Ruby called, dipping her last cookie in to a glass of milk, before it promptly disappeared in to her tiny mouth. "Have you eaten yet? I mean, you've just been standing there for a while now."

"I prepared this meal for all of you Miss Rose," Ash answered with a smile. "I simply can't partake in it. I have done the same with Miss Schnee before."

"That's boring," Yang said, putting the glass of Strawberry Sunrise to her mouth. "Just eat with us."

"That would be impolite to my mistress Miss Xiao Long," Ash answered. While hearing Ash call Weiss his 'mistress' was still a bit awkward, the only one to react to it negatively is the innocent leader of Team JNPR. Yang let out a sigh, and turned to Weiss.

"Hey Ice Queen," Yang called, making Weiss look up from her Earl Grey tea. "Order Ash to eat with us."

"Ash," Weiss called and motioned to the cart of food.

"Yes Miss Schnee," Ash walked towards them and grabbed a single slice of French toast from the cart and made his way back to the window.

"That's all you're gonna eat?" Ruby asked, worried about the health of the butler.

"Remembering my injuries from yesterday made me to lose my appetite," Ash answered, looking out the window. Taking a bite of the bread, Ash looked back. Team RWBY looked at him with a worried expression. Even Blake looked up from her book. "I'm fine now. I just had to get out of the bandages earlier."

"You should still eat some more," Blake advised worriedly. "You might need the energy."

"I thank you for your concern Miss Belladonna, but I will be fine," Ash assured her, sighing as he looked up at the sky. The four girls looked at him, worried about the distracted gesture.

Nearly half an hour later, the four girls of Team RWBY returned to their room and got ready for the day. Ash was left in his room, staring out his open window in deep thought, coming back to reality when a discomfort came from the stumps on his back.

"It's times like these that I wished I was born human or I still had them," Ash muttered to himself. Ash removed his shirt and felt around his back, his fingertips hitting the unnoticeable bulge in the gauze.

"Hey Ash," Ruby opened the door, not bothering to knock and walked in still wearing her pajamas. Ruby froze when she was greeted with the sight of Ash in his current form.

"Sorry!" Ruby, in the blink of an eye, exited the room, slamming the door close behind her.

"Come in Miss Rose," Ash called out when he finished putting his shirt back on. Ruby opened the door slightly and peeked in. Seeing that Ash had his shirt back on, she opened the door wide and stepped in.

"You still injured?" Ruby asked, her eyes directed at the gauze wrapped around Ash's chest.

"No," Ash answered, the confused expression from Ruby caused him to come up with a story. "There are just… some scars that some don't want to show anyone, no matter what."

"Scars?"

"Yes, Miss Rose. Please keep what you saw a secret."

"Especially from Weiss?"

"Yes Miss Rose. Especially from Miss Schnee. Now there must be reason why you came back."

"Yeah," Ruby said, trying to forget Ash's secret, fearing that she might slip. "I was just wondering if you were going to do anything later?"

"Are you asking me out on a date Miss Rose?" Ash teased the leader, wearing a mischievous smile. Ruby grew flustered, trying to explain her word choice. Ash laughed before answering her truthfully. "Actually I was thinking of going in to the Emerald Forest, that is on the off chance that Miss Schnee would allow me. After yesterday, I knew that the only way I wouldn't be a hindrance to Miss Schnee is to learn how to fight Grimm. Actually fighting Grimm is the fastest way I could do that."

"Ash you barely could handle two Beowolves," Ruby reminded the butler, causing him to look down in shame. "There would be so much more out there. During the initiation, Weiss and I fought a dozen of them. We had to run."

"I know Miss Rose," Ash admitted to her, still looking at the ground. "My chances of dying are drastically increased, but I fear that there would soon be a situation where whether or not I could defeat more than a single creature at a time would be the factor between life and death."

"Ash hear me out ok?" Ruby asked, very carefully choosing her words. "What if you use a sword?"

"Miss Rose," Ash said as if offended, looking up and narrowing his eyes at her.

"Ash, you need to face the truth. Ok, you're swordplay is… a little… brutal, but its effective. The only reason that Cardin is alive right now is because of his Aura. If you were to fight Grimm instead, you could easily take down a hundred Ursai."

"Even if I believe you Miss Rose, I also risk scaring Miss Schnee – all of you. That is something that I can't do."

"But Ash, if you think—"

"Miss Rose," Ash interrupted with a little hostility in his voice. When the girl flinched back a little, his expression softened. "I'm sorry Miss Rose. I'll… think about it, but not right now."

"Ok," Ruby said meekly, a lingering feeling of fear within her.

"You came here for something Miss Rose," Ash reminded her, going to the closet and grabbing a set of his usual butler uniform and placing it on the bed. "Surely it's not just because you were wondering what my plans for today are?"

"We were wondering if you could come with us to the city," Ruby disclosed. "We were gonna see if we could turn up anymore information about the White Fang. We figured that if you knew that club owner and that author, you'd know where we could start, and you know… convince them to help?"

"Info brokers are a good place to start," Ash admitted, thinking back on what was relevant. "Hei Xiong Jr. is probably the best broker to start with, he's the least… shady."

"Does that mean you're coming with us, or are you telling us to start there?"

"Miss Schnee probably won't allow me to go to the Emerald Forest anyway, so I'll come. I'll inform Junior that we will be coming for a day visit."

"Sweet, we'll see you in an hour or so," Ruby left the room in a blink of an eye slamming the door shut behind her. Ash let out a sigh and quickly took off his shirt and felt one of the stumps again. It twitched involuntarily in discomfort.

"I need to readjust this gauze," Ash muttered, the new scars on his chest preventing him from reapplying the gauze by himself. He pulled the gauze the off of him, and sent a message to Junior, before stepping in to the bathroom to shower. In fifteen minutes, Ash came out of his room in a white shirt and black pants, gauze in hand, shutting the window close before exiting. The hall was pretty much abandoned, with only one Velvet Scarlatina standing there in shock and staring at the gauze in the butler's hand.

"Are you alright?" she asked, worriedly. "Ash, right?"

"Yes Miss Scarlatina," the butler responded. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Are you alright?" Velvet asked once more, taking a step towards the butler. "I heard you got injured yesterday, is it still affecting you now?"

"No Miss Scarlatina. This is just to… hide my scars."

"I see. Well if you want, I can help you."

"That would be appreciated, but only if you promise me that you would keep whatever you see a secret."

"I can do that, yeah."

"Then please, come in," the two teenagers entered the room, and Ash handed the gauze to the Faunus as he shut the door close behind them. She accepted it and Ash took off his shirt to the slight discomfort of the girl. The girl's expression quickly turned in to one of confusion. She found his new scars, but deemed it something that shouldn't be embarrassed to be seen with; that is until he turned around. The black stumps on his back twitch a little, as if trying to flap.

"You're…" Velvet said, backing up a step in shock. Ash turned around, and took a step forward, ready to catch her if she started to fall. Thankfully, she was fine. "You're a Faunus?"

"I am," Ash said in a whisper, his eyes asking her to do the same.

"You're a dragon," she said, whispering now as well. "That's how you knew… Oh Oum, your wings…"

"Yes Miss Scarlatina, I am a dragon based Faunus, and yes my wings are gone. But not for the reason that you may think. I was hunted down yes, but in the end, I chose to have my wings clipped."

"What? Why?"

"To answer that, I have to tell you my entire story. I unfortunately don't have the time to do so, nor do I really want to relive what has been done to me. Now please, bandage me?"

Velvet nodded and got to work, wrapping the gauze around the boy's 'scars,' flattening them down in the process.

"Thank you Miss Scarlatina," Ash said after she was done. The girl took a step back, still in shock of what she had discovered.

"It's… not a problem," she replied, unsure of what she could say. "Ash at least answer me this, does it have anything to do with Weiss?"

"It has everything to do with her," he answered with a smile. "And I don't regret it one bit."

"You must really love her, huh?"

"I do Miss Scarlatina, more than she would ever know," Ash replied, shaking his head to get rid of any thoughts that he might soon regret, he showed her a brighter expression. "Anyways, I must thank you again Miss Scarlatina, for helping with my… predicament."

"You said all dragon based Faunus were gone," Velvet reminded him, still unable to comprehend his lie.

"I merely paraphrased the reports that I've read," Ash countered. "Not once did I mention any first hand experience."

"Why not just admit?" Velvet asked in slight concern. "You're protected in Beacon. And even Cardin is now afraid of you. He won't bully you like he does others."

"It's because Miss Schnee does not know that Ash the dragon Faunus exists," Ash replied. "To her, Ash is human, like her. And until the day she orders me to reveal the truth, a human I shall be."

"Why her?" Velvet asked. Ash smiled at her and laughed a little before responding.

"I really don't know, Miss Scarlatina. When I first met her, I had a feeling that I had to protect her from everything that tries to hurt her, and to make her as happy as I possibly can."

Velvet didn't respond verbally, instead smiling at Ash's answer. Ash looked at the time and realized that he had spent nearly fifteen minutes with Velvet; he let out a sigh and turned to her.

"You wouldn't happen to know where I can find Doctor Oobleck, would you Miss Scarlatina?" Ash asked. The rabbit Faunus tilted her head slightly at Ash before thinking for a bit.

"I think he should be at the library right now," she answered. "He's always trying to learn just a little bit more each day. Why?"

"Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch have asked me to tell him about my… situation. Care to join me? I honestly don't think I'll be able to last a minute if I went alone."

Velvet laughed before agreeing to accompany him. Together, they made their way towards the library. In minutes, the two entered the empty library. They could barely make out a shuffling blur in between the thousands of books. Moving towards the blur, the doctor's figure became clearer to see.

Bartholomew Oobleck was reading a series of books, bouncing between bookshelves, putting a book down before picking up another.

"Doctor?" Velvet called out. The caffeinated doctor stopped and looked up from the book he was reading, seeing his two students simply standing there.

"Ah Velvet, Ash. Good morning to the both of you," Oobleck greeted, which the students were more than happy to greet back. "I see the two of you have decided to get ahead of your peers. Good, good. Such diligence is definitely good."

"Actually doctor," Ash intervened. "There's something I'd like to show you."

"Show me?" the doctor asked, putting his book down and paid attention to his student. "Very well, what is it?"

Velvet looked around for a bit, before nodding at Ash, telling him that no one was around. Ash took off his shirt and pulled the gauze off of him once again.

"Mister Valentine what is the meaning of this?" the doctor asked a bit angry, but stared in awe when Ash turned his back to him. "Are those…"

"What used to be wings, doctor," Velvet answered. Ash stayed quiet, feeling the doctor's eyes staring directly at his stumps.

"Then that means that Ash is a Faunus," Oobleck finally reached the conclusion. Velvet nodded, while Ash didn't respond. "Ash, you said that dragon based Faunus were extinct."

"I paraphrased the reports, doctor," Ash responded, turning around once more to face the doctor. Velvet took the gauze from Ash and started to wrap it around Ash once again, getting one final look at Ash's stumps, unknowingly touching one of them.

"Miss Scarlatina," Ash said, his voice showed discomfort. "They're sensitive."

"Sorry," Velvet grew embarrassed, continuing to wrap the gauze around the stumps. Once she finished, she returned to his side.

"Ash," Oobleck turned serious, narrowing his eyes at the boy. "Were you hunted?"

"Yes, doctor," Ash answered, but quickly made a follow up, just as he did with Velvet earlier. "However in the end, it was my choice to have my wings cut off."

"What?" Oobleck asked, shocked by the boy's answer. "Why? For what reason did you throw away your pride as dragon?"

"My pride does not solely lie in my wings, doctor," Ash replied, a little offended at the doctor's choice of words. "And my reason was and is to stay with Miss Schnee."

"Such devotion," the doctor admired. "But where will that take you Ash? What happens afterwards?"

"I understand what you're trying to say doctor, but I can guarantee you that it will not happen. I do not plan to live longer than my mistress."

"Ash…" Velvet called, but whatever she was going to say was lost somewhere in her mind.

"Tell me Ash," Bart said. "How many more dragon based Faunus are there?"

"As far as I know doctor," Ash admitted. "I'm the last one… in the cities, that is. There could be more in the outskirts of the cities, but they are not archived."

"Ash," Velvet turned to the boy concerned. "Living outside the walls is a death sentence. The survivability is pretty much zero."

"I'm well aware Miss Scarlatina," the boy replied, looking down at the floor. "But that doesn't mean it's impossible, especially for those who can fly. The only ones that can truly make life difficult for them are Nevermores."

Velvet looked down at the floor, not wanting to face Ash, afraid that he had offended him somehow. Ash let out a sigh, at the gesture, feeling bad.

"Though I am afraid that you're right Miss Scarlatina," Ash admitted, his eyes closing due to the pain of admitting defeat to the nightmare that he might be the last. "I've monitored whatever land I can in the past three years. There was no sign of anything in the skies other than Grimm. I very well may be the last dragon."

"Then you should protect yourself Ash," Doctor Oobleck stated. "If you are correct, and you are the last dragon, then you have to live."

"You're asking me to leave Miss Schnee," Ash concluded, to which the doctor could not respond. He turned to Velvet to see if she felt the same as the doctor, she as well couldn't respond. "If I am the last one, then that also means that there won't be anymore dragons that will have their wings ripped from their backs. That is a fate that I cannot burden my children with."

The doctor opened his mouth to say something but kept it hidden when he realized that the butler was right.

"After all, while there lies hatred between humans and Faunus, dragons receive hatred from both races," Ash added. While he had accepted the fact long ago, it still saddens him. If it weren't for his disguise, he would be hated by both races – and especially the possibility of Weiss Schnee disowning him either out of hate, fear, or betrayal.

Ash's scroll lit up from his pocket and started to ring. He fished it out from his pocket and opened it to see that Weiss was calling him. He excused himself from the doctor and peer before walking just out earshot. He pressed the button and was granted by his mistress' voice.

"Ash where are you?" she asked in a curious tone.

"I'm in the library Miss Schnee," he replied, adding more information as to not worry her further. "I had to meet with Doctor Oobleck. Is there something I can help you with Miss Schnee? Miss Rose informed that we would be leaving in fifteen minutes."

"No, it's not that. I just wanted to ask you something, face to face preferably."

"I will be there soon Miss Schnee."

"See you soon."

Ash closed his scroll and placed back in his pocket. He turned to the two other people in the library with him.

"That was my mistress," he told them. "I'm sorry but I have to go. Thank you for guiding me Miss Scarlatina. Doctor, please keep what I just told you a secret."

Without even waiting for a reply, Ash turned and ran out of the room, heading towards where his mistress was waiting. In a minute, her figure waiting just outside his room came in to view in her casual outfit with Myrtenaster at her hip. His run soon became a walk, and made his way to her.

"Ash," she called as he came in to her line of sight. Ash walked a little faster, and soon stood before her. "Ruby told me about your plan to go in to the Emerald Forest."

"I see," Ash said slightly disappointed in the reaper because she had told Weiss, but thankful that if anything it was that and not his 'scars.'

"Ash what were you thinking?" she asked, a tone of disappointment and worry combined together. "Yes, I want you to catch up, but not at the cost of your life. If you were going to do this in the first place, then why did I have you nullify your deal with Beacon?"

"I'm sorry Miss Schnee," Ash said ashamed. "I only wanted to continue to be useful to you."

"You know Ash," Weiss said, fighting both the urge to slap the boy in to ground just as she did yesterday, and the urge to squeeze the life out of the boy. "There are times when you act just like a child. This is one of those times. When have you ever been anything but useful to me? You fulfill each and every one of my desires no matter how ridiculous it was."

"I'm afraid that should a time come where my ability to face more than one Grimm at a time be the only factor dictating whether or not I can stay with you, I may be too incompetent."

"That's why we've been talking about it," Ruby exited the RWBY dorm room along followed by Yang and Blake; each wearing their casual clothing except for Blake who wore her Intruder outfit, their weapons strapped to their backs or in Yang's case, around her wrists. "From now on, you are a honorary member of Team RWBY."

Ash laughed at the team's defiance against the school rule of only four per team, each paired by their choice of relic in the initiation.

"The difference between you and anyone else in Beacon is that you're on your own," Yang explained, her team members nodding in agreement. "Everyone else has at least their partner watching their backs, if not their entire team."

"This way you can relax on improving drastically in a short amount of time," Blake continued the team explanation. "Also, this way Weiss can relax. She won't have to worry about you getting yourself killed."

Ash turned to Weiss, and she had a victorious grin on her face. Ash laughed a bit more, leaning his back against the wall to keep him steady. Team RWBY stared at him as if he was crazy but keeping all of them smiling.

"Even though it's against Beacon's rules on the matter," Ash managed to say between breaths of air. "I accept. Thank you, for accepting me."

"Alright!" Ruby exclaimed, not bothering to worry about the other teams wanting to sleep in. "Team RWBY, let's move out."

"Miss Rose," Ash said, slightly still laughing. "I still need to change my clothes."

"Alright!" Ruby exclaimed excitedly again. "Team RWBY to Ash's room!"

"Miss Rose," Ash said once again, with the rest of the girls shaking their heads. "We're already here."

"Why does the world have to be so complicated," Ruby muttered. "Ok, fine. Ash, as leader, I order you to change quickly!"

Ash opened his mouth to counter, about to state that only Weiss can order him, but since he is a member of Team RWBY, that would make Ruby his leader as well. Ash was conflicted, and it was apparent on his expression.

"Oh no," Weiss interjected when she saw his expression. She turned to Ruby, narrowing her eyes. "You can't order Ash like that. He may be part of the team now, and you may be the leader, but Ash is mine and mine alone."

"Please tell me you got that," Blake turned to Yang, who was trying very hard not to laugh. She nodded and took out her scroll from behind her back. She pressed a button displayed on the screen and Weiss' voice came from it.

 _Ash is mine and mine alone._

Weiss grew flustered, her cheeks reddening. Ash laughed like there was no tomorrow, the expression on his mistress' face, priceless. Weiss argued with her team, demanding them to delete the recording. The team argued, all the while Ash laughed beside them.

"We'll delete it," Yang tried to compromise. "But in return, you have to share Ash with us."

"I'm sorry Miss Xiao Long," Ash replied before Weiss could. The team turned to him, a smile plastered on to him. "I made the promise to Miss Schnee, therefore I cannot serve anyone else. It is as she said, I am hers and her alone."

"Ash!" Weiss complained, slightly angry with her butler for giving them more ammunition for their teases. She shook her head, and pointed at Yang's scroll. "Ah! Never mind that for now. Grab that scroll!"

Ash laughed at the order, but prepared himself for what's probably going to be a wrestle.

"Yes Miss Schnee."


	7. Dear Oum! She Slaps Hard!

"Ash I swear I will kill you once I'm back to normal," Yang threatened as the boy carried her to her bed. Ash placed her down on her bed as the girl tried to move her arms to choke the boy, but her arms lay limp on the mattress.

"I thought you wanted me to marry you Miss Xiao Long," Ash reminded her with a smirk. The girl once again tried to raise her arms to knock the boy to ground, but in the end couldn't move her arms any more than a few centimeters up.

Ash dropped to the floor, leaving the complaining brawler at the top bunk. The rest of the team all stared at him, shaking their head. Ash looked at them all with a smile.

"Ash I know I told you to grab the scroll," Weiss complained, pinching the bridge of her nose. "But to paralyze Yang once again is a bit much don't you think?"

"Actually Miss Schnee, I disagree."

* * *

 _"Yes Miss Schnee."_

 _Ash immediately rushed the blonde brawler who had jumped back a good few feet, getting away from the butler. Blake and Ruby dodged to the side, planting their bodies flat against the wall._

 _"Delete that recording Xiao Long," Weiss demanded once more, holding her hand forward, palm up. "Or better yet, let me do it."_

 _"Oh come on Ice Queen," Yang teased the heiress, keeping an eye on Ash just in case he moved in once again. "It's just to remind you of your feelings if you happen to forget. Also, call Ash off, we don't want to wake up the neighbors do we?"_

 _"Delete it and I will," Weiss compromised. Yang only shrugged and played the recording again, louder than the one before. The recording reverberated throughout the hall, probably waking some students. "Ash!"_

 _Ash rushed in to grab the scroll from the brawler once more. Yang did all she could to simply dodge the butler's attempts to take her scroll, all the while holding back her urge to attack him back to make it easier for her._

 _"Ash," Yang called as she moved out the way of another of Ash's attempts. The boy continued his attempts to grab the scroll. "Ash, come on. Let's not fight, we're teammates now. Let's kiss and make up ok?"_

 _"I'm sorry Miss Xiao Long," Ash apologized, stopping to smile at her to show his sincerity. "But until Miss Schnee tells me otherwise, I shall continue. I hope we can continue to be friends after this."_

 _Ash gave Yang enough time to recover from her state of confusion before going for the scroll once more._

 _Ash lunged forward with his right foot, going for the scroll that she held well behind her back. Yang sidestepped, dodging the attempt, smiling and laughing as she did so. To any outsider, and to Yang herself, the two seemed to be playing like a game of Keep Away._

 _Using the momentum from his lunge, Ash planted his left foot hard to the floor and spun, meeting the brawler face to face once again. Yang took another step to the side out of instinct, but halted to a stop when Ash pushed his hand in front of her. Yang reeled her body back, and Ash took this opportunity and pinned her against the Team JNPR door._

 _Yang was forced to slam her body against the door to avoid the butler. Yang tried to duck under Ash's arm, but he managed to dig both arms close to her body and under her arms. The only way that Yang could do to get out of the situation now was to raise her arms and try and slide under Ash's arms. However, the chances that Ash would be still long enough for her to do so is nonexistent._

 _"I didn't know you were in to this kind of play Ash," Yang tried to flirt her way out of the situation, but the smile on Ash told her that it wouldn't work. "You know Ash, it's kind of frustrating that you're immune to my charms."_

 _"I wouldn't say 'immune' Miss Xiao Long," Ash confessed, keeping his smile as she stared at him in shock. "I am just resistant to it, as I place Miss Schnee's and her friend's desires higher than that of my own."_

 _"That doesn't make me feel better," Yang said, confused and disappointed._

 _"The scroll Miss Xiao Long," Ash reminded her. Yang sighed, nearly giving up. The door opened and the two fell in, keeping the same position they were in, but this time on the floor. The two looked up and saw Jaune standing there with a stupefied expression._

 _Seeing the situation as a distraction, Yang pulled her legs up and kicked the butler away. Ash flew for a bit before hitting the back of his head on the top of the doorframe, his Aura preventing him from receiving a concussion or at the very least being knocked unconscious._

 _Jaune jumped back to the beds where Nora and Ren sat on the same bed, recovering from his shock, getting a good distance from the two. Ash slowly got up to his knee, rubbing the back of his head in pain. Yang looked apologetic, but at the same time elated; elated that their small game of Keep Away can continue._

 _"What in Remnant is going on?" Jaune asked, keeping an eye on the brawler and the butler. Ash stood up, shaking his head to rid himself of his blurring vision._

 _"Ash here is trying to steal my scroll," Yang answered, trying to mislead the already confused blonde leader. Jaune turned to Ash, wanting him to give his side of the story._

 _"It's an order from Miss Schnee," Ash told the leader. The statement confused Jaune. Forcing him to wonder why Weiss would order Ash to steal Yang's scroll. Luckily for him, the rest of Team RWBY arrived._

 _"Why is Ash after Yang's scroll?" Jaune asked them, as Ash moved in to take the scroll in Yang's hand. The two bounced around the room, almost looking like the two were actually playing. The only thing that differentiated it from mere play was Yang's scowl dictating that she had to focus more as Ash's movements got faster and faster still._

 _Ash kept trying to grab the scroll throwing what looked like punches, but was purposely missing to go for the scroll. Soon, Yang couldn't continue to dodge the attempts any more. After moving her body down, her knees crumbled beneath her. Ash caught her, wrapping his arm around her waist, and stepped hard on the ground to steady the both of them._

 _"Ready to give up the scroll Miss Xiao Long?" Ash asked the girl in his grip. An annoyed look appeared on Yang, as once again Ash had gotten the advantage over her. Yang looked around the room, and saw another door, or in her mind, another escape. She brought her hands on Ash's chest and pushed him off of her, and quickly put her right hand under her to push off towards the door._

 _"Wait Pyrrha's—" Jaune tried to warn, but the brawler was already in the process of opening the door. Ash rushed towards her immediately, reaching for her shoulder and pinched a nerve as he had done to her before, and pinned her to the floor. He closed his eyes and reached for the doorknob and slammed it close once more._

 _"Nice save," Nora complimented, as Jaune let out a sigh of relief._

 _"What's going on out there?" Pyrrha asked from the other side of the door. Jaune looked flustered, afraid that he was going to have to answer._

 _"Team RWBY and I are merely visiting Miss Nikos," Ash called out in a loud voice. The teens in the room all stared at him, stunned at how easily he was able to lie. "Miss Xiao Long and I were playing around and fell on the door. I'm sorry about the disturbance."_

 _"All right?" Pyrrha sounded unsure, unable to determine whether or not Ash was lying or not. Her only clue being Ash doesn't play around for any particular reason._

 _"I was asked by Miss Schnee to test my hand to hand against Miss Xiao Long by playing a game of Keep Away," Ash further lied. The other teens were speechless, wondering what part of Ash's past enabled him to lie so easily._

 _"In our—" Pyrrha started, but was very quickly interrupted by Ash._

 _"By the way Miss Nikos, why was the door unlocked?"_

 _"I broke the tumbler earlier in the week," Jaune confessed, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Ash stared at him for a more detailed explanation. "I fell on the door while changing in to my uniform, ok? The tumbler broke under my weight."_

 _"I can come by later to fix if you want," Ash offered._

 _"We'd be grateful," Pyrrha called out before Jaune could answer. Yang, who was still pinned to the floor by Ash, started to get annoyed as the boy seemingly forgot about her._

 _"Ash would you get off me?" Yang demanded, Ash looked down looking apologetic. Ash let her go, and stood up. She tried to get up, but found that she couldn't move her arms. "Did you paralyze me again?"_

 _"I'm sorry Miss Xiao Long," Ash told her as he bent down and carried her. "It was the first thing that came to mind."_

 _Yang's eyes turned red as she glared at Ash, desperately trying to raise her arms to pummel the butler. Ash knelt down once more, and grabbed the brawler's scroll that had fallen down in her squirming. He walked to the rest of Team RWBY and handed the scroll to Weiss, all the while Yang cursed and threatened him._

 _Weiss quickly maneuvered through the icons that appeared on the screen while the downed brawler complained about her privacy. Once she found the recording, she promptly deleted it with a victorious smile. She put the scroll on top of Yang's stomach after she was done._

 _"Thank you Ash," she thanked her butler, who bowed slightly at the heiress. Weiss exited the room with the butler following with a still squirming Yang in his arms._

 _"Excuse us," Ash said to Jaune, bowing to him slightly. He was about to turn to exit, but remembered something. "I apologize for the chaos Miss Nikos."_

 _Ash didn't wait for a reply and exited the room, following his mistress to the hallway. Ruby and Blake waited for a bit, unsure of what they would do now. They obviously couldn't go out to the city with one of them paralyzed for who knows how long. Ruby let out a sigh, thinking back on times when things weren't so complicated._

* * *

"Well now what?" Yang asked once she's calmed down, granted it took her nearly half an hour. She tried to move her arms once more, only for them to fall to the bed after a foot up. "Ash, explain to me again exactly what you did to me?"

"There's a certain pressure point in the the shoulder that's used in acupuncture to relax the body," Ash explained as he poured another cup of tea to Blake who was reading her new book. Ruby was happily eating biscuits after being convinced by Ash that it was just like cookies. Weiss just sat there with a cup of tea in hand, practically ignoring everything around her.

"Doesn't acupuncture usually involve, I don't know, needles?" Yang asked sarcastically, still a little angry with the butler.

"I found a way to use my Aura instead of needles," Ash answered, slipping his shirt from his shoulder to show her. He pointed to the skin between his clavicle and scapula, unknowingly showing a small portion of the gauze wrapped around his chest. "To quickly summarize it, I injected a portion of my Aura in to you to force that pressure point to cause your muscles to relax."

"You still wounded Ash?" Yang asked, catching the attention of the entire team. Ash turned slightly pale, fearing his secret being exposed. Ruby looked at Ash with a guilty expression, as if it was her fault. Blake looked up from her book, curious. Weiss narrowed her eyes at Ash, trying to pry any secret that the boy may be hiding. "I thought I saw bandages there for a second."

"Must've imagined it Miss Xiao Long," Ash offered, desperately trying to return color on his pale face. "I got rid of my bandages this morning before going to the kitchen and making breakfast. Headmaster Ozpin caught me getting rid of them. You may ask him if you want."

"Hmm… I guess I was imagining it," Everyone returned to what they were doing before, except for Weiss whose stare lingered a little longer at Ash. "Ash, do me a favor. Never paralyze me again."

"Never paralyze _anyone of us_ , ever again," Weiss added, with the agreement of her entire team.

"I'll try not to," Ash said, completely unsure. His mind wandered to images of a member of Team RWBY in desperate situations after making ridiculous choices. "I'm sorry, but please understand my situation in those cases."

"No," Yang immediately responded. Her eyes drifted towards her partner and realized that while she was paralyzed twice already, Blake still had yet to be. "Hey Ash, I know we just got done with completing that deal and all, but why don't you paralyze Blake?"

Blake's Faunus ears twitched under her bow and snapped her head towards Yang, glaring at the blonde. Ash, on the other hand, tilted his head to the side, confused by the sudden request.

"It's not my fault he's never had a reason to paralyze me," Blake countered. Weiss and Ruby looked at her, and then each other as if planning something, but stayed sitting. "I wasn't the one trying to expose Pyrrha's bare body to the rest of us."

Ash looked at the girls, silently laughing at their casual banter, making it seem like that the threat of the Grimm didn't exist.

"If you'll excuse me ladies," Ash bowed to them before exiting the room, closing the door behind him. He made his way to his way room, locking the door and windows, as well as shutting the curtains, before changing to his butler suit. Wearing the several layers of clothing made him feel significantly better as there is almost no chance of his gauze being seen.

Ash moved his shoulder forward and back, trying to shift his gauze. He knew it won't move, but after his slip up at the RWBY dorm room, the stumps on his back still felt exposed even with the multiple clothing completely covering it.

Ash lied down on his bed; his limbs spread out at his sides, and closed his eyes. Images of when he first met Weiss on her sixth birthday flash through his mind. The group of nobles, the smiling heiress holding her sister's hand, the guards, and the Faunus that glared at them.

An image of him being thrown in to an alley, went by, appearing for a millisecond before disappearing in to the depths of his memory once more. He winced, remembering the pain that he felt when his small body hit the floor.

Another image flashed. The Faunus that were once only passively glaring at the nobles, now surrounded them, armed with various objects as weapons – from simple kitchen knives to their own claws. He remembered the yelling that accompanied it, screams of revolution, screams of terror, and screams of pain.

This time, instead of a single still image, a scene appeared; one that made him want to escape from this dream-like state of his. The heiress that was happily smiling before was thrown in to the streets, now crying out for her father and sister. A sound that unmistakably came from a large vehicle blared throughout the streets and sky. Ash pushed himself up from the ground and started to run towards the lone heiress, for reasons he did not know at the time. He sprinted out of the alley as fast as his legs would permit him. In the corner of his eye, he saw the headlights of the vehicle and willed his legs to go faster. He dove and reached out for the girl, wrapping his arms and wings around her when he was able to. Together, they avoided vehicle and landed safely on the other side of the streets.

He looked down at the girl safely in his hold and found her unconscious from fear. A group of Faunus surrounded him, demanding the girl, but he blocked them all out and tightened his hold on the heiress, his wings wrapping around her fully. They beat him, trying to force his wings open. Very soon, he became numb to the pain. He knew that sooner still, he'd be unconscious like the Schnee in his arms.

The guards that threw him earlier attacked the Faunus that surrounded him, throwing them away as if they were paper. The Schnee father soon came in to his line of sight, his vision already blurring from the beating he took. He willed his wing to uncover the six-year-old girl. He released his hold on the girl, allowing the father to pick her up. Ash remembered losing consciousness after that.

The scene ended after that. What appeared in his mind next was another image, the image of him being in a blindingly white room, whose floor would soon be tainted with his blood.

Ash squirmed in the bed, feeling the pain he experienced back then once again.

Another image appeared, a silver blade that, like the floor, would soon be tainted with his blood. It would be that soon after that image, his past self would have his wings cut by the blade.

Unknowingly, Ash let out a pain filled scream, his stumps burned as they had before. Tears streamed from his closed eyes, as his body squirmed at the pain.

The entire scene played itself out, once again. The blade and its wielder did their best to cut through one wing as quickly as possible, as trying to cut both at the same time would be impossible. The blade was forced down, slowly and painstakingly cutting through bone, hardened muscle, and hard leather like skin.

Ash once again screamed out in pain, his heart beat at an alarming rate as if trying to climb out of his chest, through rib and muscle.

The cut wing fell to the floor as well as possibly a pint or two of his blood. The person with the blade grabbed his other wing and stretched it outwards, wanting to avoid cutting more than necessary. Once again, the wielder forced his blade down. The blade cut it's way down the wing, only to get stuck in the bone. The wielder was forced to retreat his blade and force it down once again to fully cut through the bone.

Yet another scream of pain emanated from Ash. Sweat beaded down his skin, soaking his clothing, bandages, and bed, as his body continued to writhe in pain.

His remaining wing fell to the floor with an inaudible thud, as his body fell forward. The blood from his wounds drenched his bare back and pooled around him, daring to drench his front as well. His consciousness soon faded.

"Ash!" someone's voice called out to him. He felt his consciousness returning to him, dragging some of the pain along with it. "Ash! Ash! Wake up!"

Ash bolted up from his bed, breathing hard. He looked around and the members of Team RWBY and Team JNPR all looking worriedly at him. The door to his room lay burned and broken on the floor.

He gripped his chest as a sudden stabbing pain overcame him. Weiss kneeled closest to him, gripping his arm as if it would run away if she let go.

"What happened?" Ruby asked, standing close to Weiss. Ash looked around, unable to place a name on anyone of them.

A feeling of nausea appeared inside him, and he forged his way to bathroom, slamming it close before emptying his stomach in to the toilet. He moved to the sink and rinsed his mouth with water and mouthwash, removing his tie in a hurry in an attempt to gather more air.

"Ash, are you all right?" Weiss asked, with murmuring behind her. It took the butler a second to remember who she was.

"I'm all right Miss Schnee," Ash answered, splashing his face with water. It followed with a few coughs as the gastric acid continued to burn his throat.

"What happened Ash?" Jaune called out from behind Weiss. Ash didn't answer for a while, trying to formulate a response that won't lead to them asking him for details.

"I was facing my past," Ash answered, opening the door, his face still slightly damp while the collar of shirt and coat was soaked. "I thought I could this time around."

"What do you mean 'facing your past?'" Blake asked, still troubled by the screams of pain that they all heard earlier. "Weren't you just having a nightmare?"

"It's like a form of meditation Miss Belladonna," Ash answered, still a little nauseous. "I put myself in a sort of trance, and dive into my memories. Of course, any pain or emotion is nothing more than just an illusion, no matter how life like it is."

"What kind of memories did you go in to then?" Ruby asked, curious as to what's able to nearly break someone like Ash. The butler gritted his teeth, and clenched his fist. "Ash? Are you sure you're ok?"

"I am all right Miss Rose," Ash replied slowly, choosing his words vary carefully as if one mistake could end him. "But please don't bring up my past. It seems that I still can't face it."

Ash's irises waned a tiny amount, remembering the state he was in only a few minutes ago. Another wave of nausea crashed in to Ash, but he managed to keep whatever is left inside his stomach.

"Maybe talking through it with someone can actually help you," Yang offered, forgetting her previous anger towards the butler. A small smile appeared on Ash, but it soon disappeared as he clutched his chest once more feeling the stabbing pain once more.

"Its good to see you on your feet once more Miss Xiao Long," Ash said, forcing a smile through a grim expression. "While I appreciate the suggestion, but I'm not yet ready to reveal my past."

Ash turned to Weiss, who looked at him worriedly as he knew his face couldn't be any paler.

"Not even to you Miss Schnee," he confessed, shocking the heiress. She couldn't help but wonder whatever it is that would force her butler in to such secrecy. As well as be tempted to order him to telling her anyway. "If you'd all excuse me, I have to change once more."

"Ash," Pyrrha called to him, her eyebrows crunched together, worried about the butler. "Whatever it is you saw, we can help you overcome it. That's what friends are for."

"Thank you Miss Nikos, but this is something I have to overcome alone."

"You know what helps me get through a bad dream?" Nora chimed in, walking up to Ash and putting her hand on his shoulder. "A nice sparring session. Usually I spar with Ren, but if you want we could spar right now."

"I'll take you up on that offer another time Miss Valkyrie," Ash replied, giving the girl a forced smile.

"Oh come on, you'll feel better," Nora slapped Ash's back in reassurance.

A pain surged throughout Ash's body as the energetic girl slammed her hand on his stumps. Ash let out another howl of pain as he collapsed on his knees. Nora jumped away immediately with a look of her than can only be described as pure guilt.

"Ash!" Weiss exclaimed kneeling down, steadying the butler before he completely collapsed on the floor. She turned and glared at the orange haired girl. "What did you do?"

"I didn't—" Nora started to defend her, but she was quickly interrupted by Ash, defending her himself.

"No. It's not Miss Valkyrie's fault. She didn't know. My memories are still bothering me, that's all."

"Ash there's only a few years that I don't know about you," Weiss reminded him. "Whatever it is that's 'bothering' you, happened before I met you, when you were just a child. If its still bothering you today, we have to do something."

"Weiss is right," the ever so quiet Lie Ren agreed. He moved his way to Ash and grabbed his loose collar. He pulled it down as far as it can go, revealing the damp gauze wrapped around his chest. "Especially if you need to hide them in more than just one way."

"Ash," Weiss called bewildered. "What is that?"

"It seems you are more perceptive than I ever gave you credit for Mister Lie," Ash could almost laugh at the miscalculation, if only he wasn't mentally in pain. "I admit my mistake."

Ren let Ash go and moved back behind everyone else. Everyone else, looking at Ash, curious about his story.

"Ash," Weiss called once again. "What is that?"

"Bandages," Yang answered, remembering seeing the same one in the Team RWBY dorm room. "I knew I saw bandages."

"I'm sorry for hiding them Miss Schnee," Ash apologized, still pale from the experience. "And I'm sorry for lying Miss Xiao Long."

"Show me," Weiss demanded, standing up to give the butler some room to maneuver. "Show me Ash."

Ash didn't move. He stayed on his knees, slightly leaning towards a nearby wall. Seconds passed, and Ash still hadn't moved. His defiance annoyed Weiss.

"Ash," she called once more, her voice growing angrier. "Show me. That's an order!"

"Weiss," Ruby stepped in, wanting to stop Weiss from forcing Ash to reveal something he wanted to keep secret. "Maybe it's better to not see it."

"Then go outside," Weiss countered, turning to her angrily. Ruby flinched as Weiss turned her attention back to Ash. "Ash, show me. I won't ask again."

"I apologize for my disobedience Miss Schnee," Ash replied solemnly, clutching his chest. "But this is one order that I absolutely can't fulfill. Even if you start to despise me, I have to keep this a secret."

"Ash exactly what is so horrible that you would defy me for the first time?" Weiss asked, growing angrier the more she pondered what was under Ash's bandages. "I can help even if you don't believe so."

"We all can," Jaune added.

"I don't doubt it," Ash admitted, chuckling even though chest was still in pain. "But I'm sorry Miss Schnee. I can't tell you, not until I'm ready to face my past."

Weiss didn't reply, instead she pushed past the members of Team JNPR and walked out of the room with a feeling of small resentment towards Ash. To where she was going, no one knew, not even her.

Ash pushed himself from the ground and made his way out past the teams.

"Ash maybe you should give her time," Jaune suggested, only for Ash to shake his head immediately.

"Yeah," Yang agreed, crossing her arms. "She's just overreacting anyway. She's probably just not used to you saying 'No.'"

"Yang," Ruby complained. "That's going too far."

"What?" Yang defended, turning to her sister, shrugging. "He has been spoiling her for a long time now."

"Yang has a point," Blake commented. Ruby turned to her in shock. "Think about it Ruby. All Weiss had to was order Ash to get whatever she wanted. It was his job."

"I take offense in that Miss Belladonna," Ash responded attracting everyone's attention. Ash was glaring at the cat Faunus, as if holding himself back from attacking her. "I obeyed Miss Schnee because I wanted to. It's the same as to why you're all here. You all have another reason why you're here at Beacon other than just being a Hunter and Huntress."

Blake and Yang looked ashamed. Ash looked around the room, at each person wanting them to try and prove him wrong. A minute passed in awkward silence.

"Your reasons vary from simply wanting to be a hero," Ash continued, looking at Jaune and Ruby, before turning to Blake. "To wanting to atone for past sins. I follow Miss Schnee because I simply want to be by her side."

Ash marched out, leaving the seven people in his room.

* * *

Ash closed his eyes and tried to think of places that his mistress may have gone to, and so far none came to mind.

"Miss Schnee where are you?" Ash muttered, wandering aimlessly in the halls. He pulled out his scroll and tried to call her, only for it to continuously ring. "Weiss please answer."

Ash continued to look through the halls, and soon found himself on the rooftops. He scanned the rooftop to find it barren. Ash walked up to the bars on the perimeter and scanned the horizon and school grounds in an attempt the vantage point will help him find his mistress.

All he could see was tress and pavement on the school grounds. The Emerald Forest stretched beyond the horizon, with various Grimm inhabiting the land under the troves of tress. Vale, at the base of Beacon, was as busy as ever. People seemed like ants from the height, but he could see them moving around as blurs.

The thought occurred to him, even though he had said it over and over again in his head, in reality, he couldn't stand betraying Weiss. No matter the circumstance.

Ash's eyes panned to the garden on Beacon grounds, remembering the times when he and Weiss played Hide and Seek in the maze of a garden of the Schnee family house. He narrowed his eyes at the garden pavilion, seeing a blur of white pacing around the inside of it.

Ash smiled at the nostalgia of the sight, before making his way to the garden. He ran. He ran faster than ever, not wanting to allow his mistress to hide herself once again.

He entered the garden, panting to try and get his breath back. Walking up to the pavilion, he could hear Weiss muttering to herself, her eyes slightly red. She sat down at the table inside the open pavilion, and placed her head on the tabletop. He walked up to the pavilion, not daring to enter.

"Now where oh where could my mistress be?" he asked in a teasing voice. Weiss bolted up at the sound of his voice, her eyes turning wide. "You know Miss Schnee, it seems your time at Beacon has made you horrible at Hide and Seek."

Weiss couldn't say anything back to him, or rather didn't know what to say first. Ash walked around and entered the pavilion.

"I know the game is childish Miss Schnee," Ash continued, forcing a smile as he walked up to the table. "But you may have to play again when you have children. Of course, I guess you could be the parent that forces her children to play chess instead. Or maybe even Remnant: The Game."

Ash's smile dissipated as he pulled the chair in front of her and sat down. He joined his hands, gripping each hand by the webbings in between his fingers, and placed it on his forehead so that his forearms hid his eyes, while his elbows were planted on the table.

"Miss Schnee, I'm not asking you to forgive me," he told her, speaking in a calm but solemn voice. "I don't mind if you despise me, as I promised to stay by you even if I am relieved from my position."

Minutes passed by and neither of them moved nor said anything. Weiss relaxed in her seat and merely placed her hands on the table crossed together after listening to Ash.

"Miss Schnee," Ash called her. She looked at him, and waited for him to continue. Ash on the other hand, hadn't moved a muscle. His forearms still covered his eyes from her line of sight. "You know, I once worked for a rich family back in Atlas. I was assigned to this one girl who hated me when I was introduced to her by her father."

Weiss' eyes widened in surprise, thinking that she had hidden that fact well. Ash laughed slightly, hiding the discomfort slowly building in his chest.

"I started to put the pieces together when she ordered me to retrieve a book called Snow White from the library," Ash continued his one sided conversation. "I knew the book wasn't there, but I still looked till the dead of night. The librarians even told me that the book still wasn't part of the collection, but I insisted that she wouldn't order me to look for it when it isn't possible. They called me crazy."

Weiss listened to him talk, fighting the urge to talk back, knowing that if she did, it would be the equivalent to her forgiving him.

"I stayed up all night searching each shelf and checking every single book at least three times. When I was sure I couldn't find it, I snuck out of the house and went to Vale. I knew someone there who owns a bookstore. He claimed to have all books under the sun. Luckily, it reigned to be true. I found the book, purchased it, and snuck my way back to the house."

Ash put his hands down and looked everywhere but directly at Weiss. He laughed a little as he continued his story.

"It was already morning when I managed to get back to the house. General Ironwood and the father almost caught me. The two of them were talking in the pavilion, almost like what we're doing right now. Only Oum knows how I managed not to alert anyone at all. I waited outside the girl's room for when she woke up to surprise her with the book."

Ash smiled at the memory, looking at the sky as if the memory lies solely there. Weiss looked directly at Ash, finding herself getting lost in his story.

"It's unfortunate that I fell asleep soon after I took sat down on the floor. When I woke up an hour later, I found that the book was missing. I was panicking so much that I actually wanted to cry. I was so afraid of disappointing her. I thought that someone stole it, and I ran around looking for that person."

Ash laughed at his child self a little before continuing. Weiss couldn't help but smile as she remembered what happened next.

"I eventually found the thief or actually thieves. To my surprise, it was none other than the two family daughters. I found them in the garden, happily reading the 'stolen' book under – what I would know later – their favorite maple tree. I didn't want to disturb them so I tried to leave them be, only to be stopped by the older daughter."

Ash laughed, finally turning his attention back to his mistress and found her smiling – nearly laughing – at his story. He continued his story, as she listened closely, facing each other as if long lost friends catching up for lost times.

"She called me over, and at that point, I was so relieved that the book actually had made it to the one it was meant for, that I wanted nothing more than to just go to the room I was assigned and sleep. But I couldn't disobey her, so I summoned whatever energy I had left to move my legs. The younger sister wanted nothing to do with me and clung to her sister while 'discreetly' glaring at me, silently ordering me to stay away."

"She probably thought you weren't looking," Weiss admitted, almost completely forgetting her resentment towards the boy.

"Oh but I was Miss Schnee," Ash told her, leaning closer to her, a mischievous smile growing on him. "She didn't know it at the time but I was more determined to be her personal butler than she would probably ever know, but I don't mind."

"I think she still doesn't know about it," Weiss told him, putting her head down, suddenly feeling unable to face him.

"Keep your chin up mistress," Ash said, reaching over, caressing her cheek, and gently raising her head so that she faced him once again. "For one day, she'll know everything that defines me."

"So what happened next?" Weiss asked, leaning in to his warmth and placed her hand on the hand on her cheek.

"There's really not much to say from my perspective after that," Ash admitted. "The older of the sisters ordered me to savor my childhood and apparently to do that, it meant listening to that Snow White story. I sat down next to the younger sister with my legs stretched out in front of me, but immediately shifted away when she, once again, shot me a discreet glare."

"She really must've hated you," Weiss admitted as Ash pulled his hand back to his side. "And here I thought you were incapable of having anyone hate you."

Ash laughed, loving that Weiss was playing along with how he was telling his story. Weiss smiled at Ash, even though her resentment towards him remained.

"She did, but it's all right. Because she eventually warms up to me… at least I hope she did. If she didn't, and only just hated me, then I have been fooling myself this entire time."

The change in formality in his voice was comforting to Weiss. It seemed as if they were nothing more than just two friends and that they weren't anything other than that.

"So what happened next?" Weiss complained childishly.

"The older sister started to read once again, with her sister almost burying her face inside the pages of the book. I, on the other hand, was happily watching the two. Anything that they may have said at that point was muffled for me. I simply was too drowsy. Before I knew it, I was already asleep. But when I woke up, I was greeted with a rather lovely sight."

"And what would that be?" Weiss asked, her cheeks slightly burning.

"I found the younger sister sleeping, using my lap as a pillow. What a gift that was to me at the time. I actually thought that she had already warmed up to me. A breeze came blowing in and she shivered, so I carefully took my coat off and placed it on her. Soon after that, I fell asleep one more time."

"I thought servants are supposed to be attentive at all times," Weiss criticized the young servant in Ash's story. "Falling asleep on your second day on the job, you really must've angered the family."

"Surprisingly enough Miss Schnee, only the younger daughter of the family was angry at me, even though she didn't show it much… except for one time. She woke up later while I was still asleep and she just slaps me. Dear Oum! She slaps hard! I honestly thought she had broken my neck."

"I'm sure she's sorry for that," Weiss laughed at the boy's exaggeration. "I'm sure she was just startled."

"I'm sure she was Miss Schnee," Ash said, laughing as he lightly touched his right left cheek, indicating that it was the one that was slapped. "It still hurt nonetheless."

Weiss got up from her seat and walked to Ash's left side, with Ash curiously tracking her. She gently held the boy's face and kissed his cheek, with a pink tint on her cheeks.

"I sure hope that little witch hasn't done irrevocable damage to my butler," she whispered. For the first time in her life, she saw Ash's cheeks turn pink. Ash put his head down with his cheeks still pink.

"I'm sorry Miss Schnee," he apologized, placing his right hand on hers, as it still held his cheek. "I've thought about it on my way here. I can't stand the thought of losing you. If keeping my secret from will lead me to that end result, then I'd rather show you."

Ash proceeded to stand up, Weiss' hands falling down at her side. He slid out of his coat and shirt, at the slight discomfort of the heiress. The gauze wrapped around his chest lay in her sight, still slightly wet from his sweat.

"Miss Schnee," Ash continued, hesitating for a second, slightly shaking in fear. "Before I continue, I ask you to not only treat it as a secret of your own, but also to continue to see me in the same way."

Weiss nodded, looking around to see if anyone is watching them. When she confirmed that they were isolated from the rest of the world, she turned her attention back to Ash.

"I need you to say so Miss Schnee," Ash's voice shook in fear. "Please Miss Schnee, I need to hear you say it."

"I promise Ash," Weiss promised, walking up to Ash and taking his hands on her own. "You'll always be my Ash Valentine."

Ash smiled, even though the fear was still evident on him. With Weiss' help, the wet gauze fell to the floor. Ash turned around and the black stumps on his back stunned the heiress.

"Ash, you're…" Weiss started, but couldn't finish as she slowly backed away. Images of the young dragon that saved her flashed as images in her mind.

"Miss Schnee?" Ash called out behind him at the silence of his mistress. Ash shivered as he felt cold yet warm fingertips on his 'wings.' Her touch put Ash back in his flashbacks, almost causing him to fall to his knees again. However, this time it was as if another entity held him to reality.

"Are you that child I met eleven years ago?" the heiress asked as she continued to feel the objects on his back. "Are you the one who saved me?"

"I am."

"I've…" she started, but stopped once again. She pressed herself on Ash's back, both hiding his secret and relishing the fact that she felt like she knew Ash once again. "I've always wanted to meet you. To think that I knew you all along, my hero."

"I was afraid that you wouldn't accept me," Ash admitted, smiling happily as his mistress had the exact opposite reaction of what he had expected. Weiss pushed away from him and turned him around. She had a look of disappointment towards the boy.

"Human or not, you are still the one who gave me all that I wanted, and the one who has always been by me. Sure, if you've told me before… I would've been less… excited about the news, but I've grown up."

"Yes you have, Miss Schnee," Ash could almost cry at how perfectly his mistress took the news. He moved in and embraced her, one that she was more than happy to return. "I'm sorry for not believing in you Miss Schnee."

Weiss didn't reply, but instead used the situation to sate her curiosity, rubbing the leather like stumps. Ash whimpered as she continued her venture, forgetting to tell her that his stumps were sensitive to a person's touch. He endured it, till he could no longer.

"Weiss," Ash whimpered, unaware that he had called her by her given name. Weiss pulled back in surprise, but was still close enough to continue to hold Ash's stumps with her fingertips. "My wings… they're sensitive."

Weiss let the boy's wings go and pushed away from him, uttering a quick apology. Ash almost fell to his knees; Weiss' touch removed almost all strength to his knees.

Ash grabbed his shirt and coat, not bothering to replace the now dirty gauze around his chest, and put them on once again, covering his secret. Weiss merely watched the boy redress himself, his cheeks still pink from her touch.

"Ash, does my father know? My sister? Anyone?"

Ash hesitated for a minute, trying to figure out how to answer her.

"There are only a handful of people that know. Yes, your father is one of them. The rest are you, Headmaster Ozpin, Miss Goodwitch, Professor Port, Doctor Oobleck, Professor Peach, and Miss Velvet Scarlatina."

"I understand my father and the staff," Weiss said, narrowing her eyes at the butler; her voice reaching a certain tone of hostility. "But how come Velvet knows?"

"I needed someone to replace my bandages earlier," Ash explained slowly, trying to find a version of the truth that won't mislead his mistress. "Miss Scarlatina was the only one available at the time."

"So you told her you're secret?" Weiss asked, her voice spelt 'betrayal.' "You couldn't trust me with your secret until I ordered you to, but a total stranger is fine?"

"No Miss Schnee. I hesitated, when the decision came, but I was left with no choice. I figured that Miss Scarlatina would keep my secret because of the hostility that some humans exert towards all Faunus."

"You still trusted her before you trusted me Ash. She has spoken to you for mere minutes, according to your story. I have been with you since we were children! If you needed someone to replace your bandages, then you should've come to me!"

"I had my reasons for not coming to you Miss Schnee," Ash answered, inching towards the now furious heiress. Ash could almost laugh at the sudden change in mood. It was only a minute ago that they were embracing, and now it was like the event never happened.

"Cause you were afraid? Anyone would've been more afraid of a random stranger knowing their secret than someone they had known for years!"

It was at that time, that a random realization came to Ash. A sly smile started to form on Ash, on the border of laughing. Weiss in turn, became confused, but still keeping the feeling of resentment.

"Are you… jealous Miss Schnee?" Ash asked, enduring the urge to laugh. Weiss reeled back, caught surprised at the question. When she couldn't respond, Ash started to laugh.

"Stop your laughing!" Weiss demanded, but fell on deaf ears. Ash continued to laugh, unable to stop the fit of laughter that started to swallow him. "Ash I order you to stop your laughing right now!"

Ash found some surge of willpower, and stopped his laughter, to chuckles. Weiss glared at him, albeit both had blood rushing to their cheeks.

"I'm sorry Miss Schnee," Ash apologized when he regained his breath. "I just couldn't help it. To think that you would actually be jealous…"

Ash laughed once again, to Weiss' annoyance.

"I am not jealous you idiot," Weiss tried to dismiss. "I feel betrayed."

Ash closed the distance between him and Weiss and held the heiress once more, his hands placed at her waist. She didn't push the butler away, but she made no notion of accepting Ash's gesture either.

"I apologize Miss Schnee. But there is nothing for you to worry about. I will forever be yours."

Weiss hid her blushing face in Ash's chest, feeling pure bliss at the boy's words.

"May I ask a favor from you Miss Schnee?" Weiss nodded against his chest in reply. "Next time I try to face my past, would you stay by me? It seems that you're the only one that can help me overcome it."

"Only if you swear to come only to me whenever you need help," Weiss bargained, raising her arms to place her soft hands on Ash's elbows.

"I swear."

Weiss smiled, looking up at her butler. Ash returned the gesture, unknowingly closing the distance between their lips. An unknown feeling came over Weiss as she tilted her head and closed her eyes, simply letting Ash do whatever he wanted.

"I will forever be yours Miss Schnee," Ash repeated, his breath overlapping with hers, as he got closer. "My mind, body, and soul are forever yours."

 ***Snap***

The sound of a camera snapped the two from their dazed states, and turned in the direction the sound came from, only to find dark red and bright yellow heads of hair peeking from nearby bushes.

Weiss drew Myrtenaster and created a blazing glyph underneath the bushes. Soon the forms of Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long came bursting out of the bushes screaming for something to cool them off, a request that Weiss was more than happy to grant as she froze them both in ice, leaving their heads open to air.

"Hey guys," Ruby said awkwardly. "Fancy meeting you here. Yang and I were just picking some flowers."

"Yeah, absolutely," Yang agreed, giving a nervous laugh.

"And exactly where are the flowers Miss Rose?" Ash asked with a hostile smile.

"They're right behind those bushes we came from," Yang immediately answered.

"And so if I were to check behind those bushes," Weiss started, giving them both a cold smile that could freeze even Death in place. "I would see a bouquet of flowers?"

"Umm… No?" Ruby answered, unsure of what she could say that wouldn't lead to her death by Weiss or Ash. "They were… uh. They were…"

"Burned!" Yang offered, earning her a set of nods from her sister.

"Yeah! They were burned when Weiss put that glyph on the ground."

"Then care to explain how there isn't a raging fire engulfing said bushes?" Ash questioned them, taking out his gauntlet like gloves.

"We put it out?" Ruby answered.

"Miss Rose," Ash called her, after equipping his gloves. "I heard a camera shutter go off. How about you Miss Schnee?"

"Why I heard the same Ash," Weiss played along, loading her weapon with fresh Dust. "Who do you think we should check first?"

"Hmm… I think we should give them a chance Miss Schnee," the butler said with an innocent smile. "After all, they are our teammates."

"All right, what do you propose?"

"How about we give them a chance to blame the other, then after we check their scrolls, we give the one telling the truth a head start before we kill her?"

"Oh that sounds absolutely divine Ash."

"Or we could all just laugh and head back to the dorm," Yang offered, earning her a bone chilling glare from the two in the pavilion.

"Thirty seconds," Weiss told them, before counting down.

"Yang I told you to make sure your scroll was on silent," Ruby whispered to the brawler.

"It wasn't me," Yang countered.

"Well I didn't take a picture," Ruby said, disappointed. "I couldn't take my scroll out in time."

"Well I couldn't either."

"Oh by the way," Ash called out. "How long were the two of you in the bushes anyway? Answering might give you a way out."

"We only heard the mind, body, and soul thing I swear," Ruby answered immediately, fearing for her life.

"Time's up," Weiss announced. Ash and Weiss started to make their way to the frozen sisters.

In a moment of desperation, Yang's semblance kicked in, allowing her to break out of the ice. Ash moved in front of Weiss to shield her from a few shards of ice headed their direction. Yang activated Ember Celica and smashed the ice around her sister.

"Ruby! Run!" Yang yelled, and together they ran out of there as fast as they could. Unfortunately, using the ice shard as a distraction proved to be useless against the heiress and her butler, as they gave chase immediately.

* * *

Blake jumped out from the nearby tree that she was hiding in once the pairs had disappeared. She looked at the screen of her scroll, examining the picture of Weiss and Ash almost kissing. She bit back a curse directed at herself for forgetting to silence her scroll.

"They really should just go out," she muttered to herself, putting the scroll away. Her eyes panned to the pavilion and saw the gauze that Ash had used. Her Faunus ears twitched in curiosity under her bow. "Looks like Ash is like me. I wonder what his secret is."

* * *

Glynda had never despised her students. Frustrated at them, sure, but never despise. However, here she was contemplating to punch a hole, or several, on the wall, cursing the timing of Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long.

"Glynda I know you're upset," Ozpin tried to comfort her. "But please do try to calm down."

"Two more seconds," she told him as if scolding a student. "No, not even two. Just a half of a second and that would've been enough."

She looked at her scroll, the screen showing an image of the Weiss and Ash in a slight embrace, and their lips close together, a thin line of light can be seen between them.

"I could've used it to make Ash bow to me," she openly admitted her desired use for her desired image. "Those two just happened to be there at the worst time possible."

"They are bound to do it again Glynda," Ozpin preached, worried that Glynda had such a vindictive agenda against Ash. "They are still young, they only need time."

"It better be soon. I will encage them in a dark room should I get impatient."

"That's not something you should openly admit," Ozpin imparted to her. "Please keep in mind that you are still a teacher, and as one, you're supposed to guide them."

"I plan to do so professor," she said with a mischievous grin. She walked away, muttering curses at the two sisters once again, leaving Ozpin standing in the middle of the hall unsure of who he should be more worried for: Ash or Glynda.

"I wish you the best of luck Ash," Ozpin said to himself, wishing that Ash could hear his warning. "It seems that Glynda has some plans for you."


	8. I Should Know My Place

Ruby and Yang sat at the base of a tree in the garden after being caught by Weiss and Ash, patiently waiting for Weiss to sift through their scrolls. Though in reality, the two sisters had no choice as they were once again paralyzed by Ash when they were caught. Weiss promptly deleted any and all photos, recordings, and anything else that she could find involving any 'interactions' she's had with Ash.

"So Ash," Ruby called, attracting the boy's attention. He smiled, and walked up to her from where Weiss was. "If you could just paralyze anyone with just a pinch on the shoulder, why didn't you just use that when you were fighting Cardin? Sorry, I've just been wondering for a while now."

"It's not a problem Miss Rose," Ash responded happily, looking down at the cloaked leader. "I simply don't want to use such an underhanded tactic to win my battles. It's dishonorable to my opponent who had trained for years to hone his or her skills in combat, and dishonorable to the combat styles that I've incorporated in to my own."

"I guess that makes sense," Ruby contemplated his answer, pretending to be in the shoes of Ash's opponent. "Yeah, it'd suck going down that way."

"I think so as well Miss Rose," the butler responded, glad that he was able to have Ruby see it the way he did. "Also, as I mentioned earlier when I was explaining to Miss Xiao Long, I insert my own Aura in to the person's nerve instead of a needle. The only thing is, the amount of Aura required is a substantial amount. I can only paralyze a maximum of four people before my Aura is completely depleted."

"Why?" Ruby asked, tilting her head in confusion. "How come you need so much to paralyze just one person?"

"I unfortunately don't know enough to find a more efficient way. Though I do believe that Mister Fox Alistair of Team CFVY is able to help me in the matter should I decide to pursue it."

"Umm, let's not give him any ideas," Yang retaliated. She glared at Ash with glowing red eyes and her hair glowing a fiery gold. "I would hate to live in a world where Ash can paralyze me ANY! TIME! OF! THE! DAY!"

"I truly am sorry Miss Xiao Long," Ash apologized giving her a sympathetic smile, though the brawler seemed to completely ignore the gesture. "I was left with no choice."

"Ash please, let me hit you just once," Yang compromised, trying to sound sweet and innocent through her current despise towards Ash. "Please, for the sake of our friendship. I feel like I'll be able to move on after that."

"If that's what you would like Miss Xiao Long," Ash agreed, knowing that no matter what he does, it won't end well for him. "I'll gladly receive your retribution."

Weiss continued to maneuver through Ruby's and Yang's scrolls only able to find the picture of her and Ash in his room embracing with his lips on her forehead. She blushed at the memory, but sent the image to her scroll before deleting it and any trace of it being sent to her scroll. After she thoroughly searched the scrolls, she found nothing else.

"Where is the picture?" she found herself asking out loud.

"I told you," Ruby tried to reason with her once more. "We didn't take a picture. You and Ash must've heard something else and mistook it as a camera."

Weiss thought back before the chase, the memory coming up as images. Ash's story, Ash's wings, Ash's laughing, and then their 'moment.' Weiss reddened even more at the recent memory, but found the event a mistake against a regretful heart.

"That may have been the case if only one of us heard it Miss Rose," Ash reasoned back, thinking back in his own memory. "However for the two of us to hear it at the same time and at the same direction, is too much of a coincidence, wouldn't you agree?"

"We're not getting out of this, are we?" Ruby asked in defeat. Ash gave her a comforting smile, as if trying to convince her that Armageddon has yet to come. Ruby tried to move her arms once more, but found them heavier to lift than a mountain.

"Still," Yang commented, her anger continuously dissipating from when Ash agreed to her vengeful condition. "To think that you and Weiss were about to—"

"Yes, about that," Weiss interjected before the blonde could say any more. "Let's all just forget about that, shall we? It was just an honest mistake, simply something that didn't and will never have meaning."

A moment of silence passed by, Ruby's eyes panning to Ash to see the boy with a conflicted expression.

"If that is what you wish Miss Schnee," Ash replied, bowing to her slightly even though she couldn't see it.

"Ash…" Ruby called quietly, but stopped, not knowing what to say.

"You know Ice Queen," Yang started to get annoyed once more at the heiress. "There are just some things that you don't do. One of those things is to deny yourself of what you feel, especially if it forces someone else to deny theirs too."

"Miss Xiao Long please don't misunder—" Ash tried to stop her, but she wouldn't hear any of it.

"Ash obviously loves you, and you obviously love him too. So why in Remnant would you deny all of that? There was only one mistake made in that garden, and that's me and Ruby interrupting the two of you. Why can't you just admit—"

"You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about Xiao Long," Weiss interrupted, making her way over the paralyzed sisters and Ash. Weiss tossed the girls their scrolls back having finished her goal with them. "I've told you before, the relationship between Ash and I are that of professionals, nothing more."

"Why don't we ask him then?" Yang countered, looking at Ash who dreaded their argument would come to this. "We were in the middle of asking him in Professor Port's class anyway. Ash, do you love Weiss in a romantic way?"

Ash looked at the ground, avoiding their eyes that demanded an answer, each yearning for different answers. Ruby pitied Ash, his inner conflict obviously tearing the butler in two.

"I love Miss Schnee as a friend and as a servant," Ash admitted, his voice restrained. "I love her in the way that I should."

"And there you have it," Weiss said proudly. Yang looked at Ash in disapproval, unsatisfied by his reply. "Ash, stay here with them until they recover. I'm going to take another shower."

"As you wish Miss Schnee," Weiss made her way back to the Team RWBY dorm room, leaving her butler with her paralyzed teammates. When she was no longer in sight, Ash turned to Ruby and Yang. "I think I may be able to reverse the paralysis, would you like me to try? It should be relatively safe."

"Yeah, me first," Ruby said, half enthusiastically, and half conflicted.

Ash knelt down in front of her and placed his right palm against her shoulder. He closed his eyes and redirected some of his Aura in to her in a much broader area. Immediately, Ruby's arms began to twitch and soon she was able to move her arms freely.

"What did you do?" Yang asked, bewildered.

"I released the excess Aura I used when I paralyzed her by using my remaining Aura to drag it out," Ash answered, his tone a bit dejected. "The only reason why it lasts so long is because my Aura is trapped within the nerve, this simply releases it."

Ash knelt down by Yang and applied the same treatment as he did on Ruby. With that, his Aura was very nearly depleted. Yang tested out her mobility by doing a few stretches, and when she was satisfied with it, she turned to Ash and threw a hard hook to his cheek.

Ash's body flew through the air, smashing against a tree, nearly breaking it.

"Yang!" Ruby complained, rushing to Ash to aid him.

"It's all right Miss Rose," Ash assured her, his voice, grave. "I gave your sister permission to, remember? Besides, it doesn't hurt."

Despite his words, blood started to drip from a cut at the corner of his mouth. Ruby quickly wiped it away, noting that Ash's body felt colder than it should have.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Yang asked, feeling a little guilty for her actions, though a part of her resented Ash for a different reason than before. It resented him for the reply he gave to her question.

"I will be fine," Ash replied, looking up, giving the two of them a strained smile. "You two should head back to your dorm room as well. I will go back to mine once I've recovered slightly."

"If you say so," Ruby found herself saying, though still worried about the butler. "Are you sure you're not hurt?"

"Miss Xiao Long didn't hit me that hard Miss Rose," he told her, his strained smile, and pained expression never disappearing. "It doesn't hurt."

"All right, if you're sure you're fine," Yang said slowly, unsure of what to do. "Come on Ruby."

The sisters made their way back to their dorm room as well, leaving Ash sitting there against a near broken tree. His head slumped down, as he raised his hand and clutched his chest.

"This one hurts," he muttered out loud, knowing there was none to hear him. "It hurts a lot."

* * *

"Yang, do you think Ash is all right?" Ruby asked after walking for minutes of silence.

"I didn't hold back if that's what you're asking," Yang pretended to be oblivious to what her sister meant, frustrated at the two people she currently deems as 'idiots.'

"That's not what I meant and you know it," Ruby countered, glaring at her sister, who let out a sigh.

"Maybe we just assumed that they were going to, but weren't," Yang tried to reason, hardly believing it herself. "I mean you heard them deny it. There's absolutely nothing going on between, it's just completely 'professional.'"

"You don't really believe that do you?"

"There's nothing else to believe. They'll probably die before they admit, so we just have to accept that."

Ruby didn't bother to respond, knowing that there was no talking to Yang about it. They continued to walk in silence once more entering the halls of Beacon, but a passing Professor Ozpin caught Ruby's attention, and ignited her curiosity in the matter once more.

"You go on ahead Yang," she called out, stopping in her tracks, causing her older sister to stop and turn to her. "I want to see if Professor Ozpin can give us something we don't already know."

"I'm sure he can Ruby," Yang stated, looking over to the professor. "But he probably won't."

"Still gotta try," Ruby replied before running to the professor, leaving Yang to walk back to their dorm room alone.

"Professor!" Ruby called out, her shrill voice echoing in the nigh empty hall. The headmaster stopped in his tracks, and turned to the sound of her voice. Ruby came to a screeching halt in front of the man, and took a breath.

"Ruby, good morning," the professor greeted, drinking from the mug he always carries.

"Professor, can I ask you something?" she asked with enthusiasm.

"You just did Ruby," he answered, deciding to play around with her.

"Oh, then can I ask you something else?" Ruby asked, oblivious to the professor's quip.

"You just did Ruby," the professor repeated. Ruby thought for how she could word her next sentence, but the professor ended his little joke. "What did you want to ask?"

"How can you tell if someone loves someone else?" she asked, much to the older man's shock.

"Now why would you need to know that?" Ozpin asked back, even though he could guess that it had something to do with what Glynda was complaining about earlier. "You are young Ruby, you'll find your special someone soon enough, you'll see."

"What?" Ruby slowly pieced together what the professor had misinterpreted, growing flustered soon after. "No. No. Not me. I was asking for Weiss and Ash."

"Oh if only Glynda was here now," Ozpin muttered silently, escaping Ruby's ears. "Then I believe you're asking the wrong question Ruby. What you want to know is the sense of the word 'love.'"

"I do know what it means," Ruby countered, feeling slightly offended that he thought she didn't know the word. Truth be told, she had just read the word's definition as the 'Word of the Day' on a dictionary website. "It's 'an intense feeling of deep affection.'"

"And that means what exactly?" Ozpin asked the teen, his lips moving to a smile. "You are not wrong Ruby, but the definition of the word has a slightly different meaning for each man, woman, and child. Try asking your friends first, including Weiss and Ash. Come find me after if you're still unsure."

The headmaster bid her farewell before walking away to wherever his destination was, leaving Ruby to contemplate what he meant by different meanings.

* * *

Ruby entered her team's dorm room, unsure of who she should ask first, or if it's even worth it to ask them. Blake was at her bed lying down, simply reading her 'romance novel' as she had described it to her. Yang was nowhere to be seen even though she was headed towards the room. The shower was on, meaning that Weiss was in the shower as she had declared.

"Hey, where's Yang?" Ruby asked her female Faunus teammate. Blake looked up from her book, focusing her amber eyes on the young leader.

"She said she was going to train," Blake answered, returning her attention back to her book. "She'll come back later to take a shower. Figured she was already sweaty enough anyway."

She and Blake were technically alone in the room. Sure Weiss was just a single thin wall, but the shower was loud enough for their voices to be drowned out, unless they yell.

"So Blake," Ruby called, slowly walking towards the Faunus and stopping just a foot away from her. Blake looked up from her book once more. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure what is it?" Blake responded, turning her attention back to her book once more.

"What is 'love?'" she blurted out. Blake's cheeks reddened at the question, but kept most of her composure. "I mean… just… how do you define it? Not the dictionary one."

"Umm… why do you suddenly ask?" she asked, confused. She closed her book and set it down making sure that she could protect it should Ruby get the funny idea of snatching it to learn more.

"It's just something I want to know," Ruby replied. "I'll be asking everyone else, so don't worry, I won't say anything."

"It's not that Ruby," Blake sat up from the bed, and faced her. "It's just that it's not something that I'd expect you to ask."

"Yeah, it's kinda weird for me too," Ruby admitted, a bit embarrassed. "So?"

"Let me think," Blake thought for a second, gently tapping her bed as she tried to transform her thoughts in to words. "Love… is the feeling you get when you want to be with someone for the rest of your life and past it."

"Ok, I can see it," Ruby turned around and started to prepare for her second shower of the day. "Thanks Blake."

Blake returned to her book, feeling slightly guilty that she quoted a passage from the book. Though that feeling quickly dissipated as she realized that it was honestly how she wanted to define the word.

Ruby laid out her Slayer outfit on top of her bed and waited for Weiss to finish her shower. In ten minutes, Weiss exited the bathroom in her SnowPea outfit, completely refreshed.

"Hey Weiss," Ruby greeted, to which Weiss mostly ignored. "Can one of you call Yang? I'll probably be done when she gets back."

"Yeah, I'll tell her," Blake assured her. With a nod and a smile, Ruby stepped in to the bathroom with her new set of clothes, wondering when an opportunity would arise for her to question Weiss.

Soon, Ruby came out of the door in her Slayer outfit; feeling refreshed just like Weiss was when it was she. Blake was still reading her book, but on the bunk above her, Ruby could see a familiar head of golden hair.

"Yang, it's your turn," Ruby called out, headed towards the door. "I'm visiting Team JNPR for a bit, we'll head out soon."

"Got it sis," Yang called out, waving to her sister while faced away, distracted by something.

Ruby exited the room, gently shutting the door close behind her. She found it lucky to have Team JNPR just across the hall from them. She walked over and knocked three times. In a few seconds, the door opened slightly, revealing Nora's smiling bright expression.

"Ruby!" Nora exclaimed excitedly opening the door wide. Behind Nora, Ren was sitting on his bed, meditating. Jaune and Pyrrha were gathered close to the bathroom door, watching Ash work on their door. "Ash is fixing the door."

"I am replacing the door tumbler Miss Valkyrie," Ash corrected her, his eyes never moving from what he was working on. He placed the screwdriver in his hand on the floor and entered the bathroom door, shutting it behind him and tested out the new lock.

The doorknob jiggled a little before Ash unlocked the door, and exited.

"That should be it," Ash announced, picking up the screwdriver and a plastic bag containing the old tumbler.

"Thank you Ash," Pyrrha thanked him as he walked towards the door.

"The one you should thank is Professor Ozpin Miss Nikos," Ash said, turning to her. "He was the one who gave me the means."

"You still took the time to do it," Jaune offered. Ash bowed to them before moving towards the door, but stopped as Ruby blocked his way.

"Miss Rose," Ash greeted, bowing to her lightly.

"Hey Ash, we're gonna leave soon," Ruby informed him. "That is if you're still coming with us."

"I'll still accompany the four of you Miss Rose," Ash replied. He held up his loose collar, slightly stained with dirt and grass from their 'run' earlier. His lip still scarred from Yang's attack, meaning his Aura has still yet to recover. "I just need to clean myself up a little."

"Ok, we'll see you soon."

Ash moved out of the way, letting Ruby enter the room, before exiting.

"What's up Ruby?" Jaune asked his fellow leader, when Ash completely disappeared from sight. "Is there something you want?"

"I just have a question for all of you," she admitted. The four members looked at each other, then back to the fifteen year old. "But I have to do it one at a time."

"Ruby what's this about?" Jaune asked, confused.

"It's just something Professor Ozpin asked me to do," Ruby answered, hoping it would be enough to lower the team's suspicion.

"Me first!" Nora yelled excitedly. "How about we hold our meeting in our new office?"

Nora opened the door to the bathroom, and entered, motioning Ruby to follow her. Ruby was hesitant about the location, but entered anyway. She closed the door and locked it, just in case.

"So what's up?" Nora asked in her usual loud voice, echoing around the room. "Did the professor give you a super secret mission? Is it about my secret trips to the kitchen?"

"No Nora," Ruby assured her, though found herself wondering about her trips. "Before I ask, I'm gonna need you to talk just a little quieter."

Nora gave her an enthusiastic nod. Ruby took a breath, feeling a little weird, breathing in the air of the inside of Team JNPR's bathroom.

"How do you define 'love?'"

"Do you like the professor?" Nora asked, placing a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Is that why he asked you to ask us? It's ok Ruby, you'll find someone else. There's more than one pancakes in the kitchen."

"What? No!" Ruby countered in a shrill voice. "There's a reason for this Nora, but I just don't know how—"

"Weiss and Ash?" Nora asked, seriously. The interruption stunned Ruby. How Nora was able to deduce the truth was beyond her. Ruby nodded, defeated. "'Love,' huh? It's something you feel when you just can't live without that special person."

"Slightly different, just like the professor said," Ruby muttered. "Ok, thanks Nora."

"No problem Ruby," Nora unlocked the door and exited the bathroom. Her teammates turned to her. "Weiss and Ash."

"Got it," the rest of Team JNPR said simultaneously.

Pyrrha entered the bathroom next and locked the door behind her.

"Ok, I'm just gonna ask ok?" Ruby asked for confirmation, to which Pyrrha nodded with a smile. "How do you define 'love?'"

"This involves Weiss and Ash?" Pyrrha asked, remembering the series of questions Yang was asking Ash in Professor Port's class. "This'll be interesting to say the least."

"It more complicated than you think," Ruby told her with a laugh.

"Let's see, I guess 'love' is that feeling you get when the only thing you care about is the well being of that special someone."

A smile formed on Pyrrha, her thoughts flowed to her obvious infatuation towards her clumsy leader: the things she has done and wished she had done – or what she had yet to do. Ruby stared at the smile, knowing of the warrior's not so hidden feelings for her leader.

"I'll tell Jaune to come in next," Pyrrha said before exiting. She placed a hand on Jaune and pushed him to the door. "Try not to use anything your father said to you. Just be yourself."

"Ok?" Jaune said confused, but stepped forward anyway. He entered the bathroom with the young girl waiting inside, and took a breath. "What's the question?"

"How do you define 'love?'"

"Weiss and Ash?" Jaune asked in a bewildered tone of voice. "So are they finally 'showing signs?'"

"It's complicated," Ruby told him, letting out an exhausted sigh. "There's a whole complicated to it, that can take whole year to explain. And it starts after Ash left his room earlier!"

"How can so much happen in that little time?" Jaune asked, unable to comprehend the girl's story. "You guys were gone for an hour or two!"

"Like I said, complicated."

"Let me see," Jaune thought for a second, trying to think about his answer to her question. He thought about his sisters, his mother, his father, and his friends, combining all of his experiences with them. "I guess, I have to define it as the feeling you get when you are willing to sacrifice your life for them."

"Then you really must love everyone Jaune," Ruby stated, taking her fellow leader's words a little too seriously.

"You'll get it soon enough Ruby," Jaune simply replied with a sigh. "I'll go ahead and send Ren in."

"Ren, last one up," Jaune called when he exited the current 'meeting room.' Ren pushed himself off the bed and headed for Ruby. He shut the door behind him and looked at her.

"Nora told me what you needed," the green clad boy admitted. "I pretty much understand the situation. But what I don't understand is why is it that you have to dig in to the matter."

Ruby thought about Ren's words for a minute, a part of her agreeing with him. But in the end, the other part of her won.

"We all know that Ash likes Weiss," Ruby explained. "And even though Ash said that he only loved Weiss as a friend and servant, he has to be lying."

"And what if he's not Ruby?" Ren countered immediately, staring in to the girl as if trying to find her weakness. Ruby, on the other hand, did not falter, but instead made her position stronger.

"Then he shouldn't have had that expression on him," she replied with confidence. "I know that look Ren. I used to always have that look when I thought Yang was going to leave me behind at Signal."

"Then how would you define it?" Ren asked solemnly, still looking at the girl critically. "I'd define it as the thing that makes you get up in the morning, the feeling of being satisfied with just seeing them. Something that makes you willing."

"Willing to do what?" Ruby asked the boy, as if he spoke in a cryptic language. He stared at her silver eyes, as if burrowing in to her, leaving her open.

"Anything," Ren replied, before retracting his piercing stare. Ruby inhaled, forgetting to breath for a second. "So what about you Ruby? How do you define it?"

"The warm feeling you get when you know that your someone is still with you," Ruby answered, unknown thoughts immediately formed in to words and escaped her lip without her realizing before it was too late.

Ren left the room, leaving a stunned Ruby to stay for a second, as she processed what she had just said. Once the words she spoke were branded in to her mind, she left the room in a daze, giving her thanks to the team and saying her goodbyes.

When she got to the hall, Ren followed her and tapped her on her shoulder. Ruby turned around and found the boy smiling.

"The answer won't come if you think about it Ruby," he said to her, slightly confusing the girl. "It's pointless if you _think_ you love someone."

Ren left her in the hall alone, once more trying to decipher what the boy had meant. Ruby walked in to the Team RWBY dorm room, still puzzled by Ren's words. Blake was, like ever, reading on her bed, completely engulfed in whatever book she had at the time. The shower was on, indicating that Yang was currently in the shower. Weiss was busy brushing her off center ponytail on her bed.

"Got your answers?" Blake asked out loud, not bothering to look at Ruby.

"Most of them, and then some," Ruby admitted, earning Blake's attention for a second before she returned to her book. Ruby turned to Weiss, and gathered her courage. "Weiss? Do you have a second?"

"What is it?" Weiss asked, continuing to brush her hair.

"Actually can we do it outside?" Ruby requested, unsure if her partner would agree to the sudden and strange request. Weiss stopped her brushing and looked at the leader, trying to guess her game.

"Sure, let's make this quick," Weiss said with a sigh. An elated Ruby exited through the door, waiting for Weiss. The heiress put down the brush and followed Ruby out the door.

Ruby stood there with a gigantic grin, making Weiss shiver a little at what the younger girl had planned.

"All right," Weiss checked around the hall to see if anyone else was present, paying especially close attention to the direction of Ash's room. "Now what is so secret that you couldn't ask me in the room with just Blake?"

"Ok, but don't jump to conclusions ok?" Ruby said cautiously, fearing a probable freak out from the white haired girl. "How do you define 'love?'"

"I thought I told you that it was all an honest mistake," Weiss immediately defended, not wanting to bring up that event ever again. "Besides didn't Ash already clear up that misunderstanding?"

"I'm just asking because Professor Ozpin wants me to ask different people," Ruby admitted, preparing a lie she prepared a minute earlier playing with her fingers, as she spoke. "He said it was part of some social experiment. Something about the meaning of the word is different for each person."

"Now why would the professor ask you specifically to do that?" Weiss asked, finding her story unbelievable.

"I don't know," Ruby tried to continue her lie, feeling herself grow more flustered. "Maybe it's because I'm younger and less experienced in it?"

"I can hardly believe the professor to be a sociologist studying this certain topic," Weiss admitted, but soon relaxed, causing the leader to let out a sigh of relief, her hands returning to her side. "A feeling someone gets that makes his or her heart beat fast just by the thought of their significant other. Is that sufficient enough for you?"

Ruby nodded slowly. Weiss turned around and entered the dorm room once more. Ruby stayed in the hall, with Ren's words echoing in her head.

 _The answer won't come to you if you think about it Ruby._

Weiss didn't need time to think, that she understood, but a nagging little voice in her head told her that Weiss's answer wasn't genuine. Rather, it seemed fake, seemed like it was practiced. Despite whatever it is that voice said, she got an answer from Weiss. She had completed that objective, despite the regret she felt.

Ruby soon entered the dorm room as well, and jumped up on to her bed, thinking about how she could ask Ash. Yang was no problem, the worst that could happen with her is endless teasing accompanied by horrible puns.

In the next few minutes Yang came out of the bathroom fully dressed in her Hunter outfit. Now all of Team RWBY was ready, all they needed to wait for is Ash.

"We waiting for Ash?" Yang asked, as she stretching her spine and arms. A hum of confirmation resonated throughout the room from the remaining members. "Well, I'm gonna check if he's ready or not."

"What if he's not Yang?" Blake asked, still engrossed in her reading.

"Exactly," Yang said deviously, a grin growing on her. She took out her scroll, wiped clean of anything she could've used on Ash. "Sweet, sweet revenge Blake."

"Wait Yang!" Ruby called out, stopping her sister dead on her tracks. "I'm coming with you."

Ruby hopped off her bed and made her way to her sister, noticing the sly smile on her.

"Someone has to keep you in check," Ruby told her. "Ash is probably going to paralyze you again."

"Nope!" Yang said excitedly. "Remember what he said? He can only paralyze up to four people before he has to let his Aura recover. His Aura probably still hasn't recovered enough yet."

Yang exited the room quickly and made her way to Ash's room, still open due the door's current nonexistent state. She looked around, finding the room empty, and the sound of the shower almost silently echoing in the room.

"Yang!" Ruby whispered behind her. "You really shouldn't do this."

"Dear sister, it's fine," Yang reassured her, readying her scroll. "Weiss didn't even try to stop me."

Ruby and Yang were alone in the room. Yang was currently contemplating whether she should barge in to the bathroom and catch Ash by surprise or wait for him to come out. And considering the broken door, Ash more than likely won't be in anything worth for blackmail.

She put her hand on the door handle, but Ruby immediately held her back.

"Yang, before you do anything, there's something I'd like to ask you," Ruby said frantically, finding the situation appropriate to ask her question to protect Ash. Yang gave up on blackmailing Ash for now and listened to her sister. "How do you define 'love?'"

"Where'd that question come from?" Yang questioned her sister, trying to figure whomever it was Ruby held a crush for.

"It's just a question," Ruby insisted, but the look of protective caution on Yang told her that the blonde may have misunderstood.

"It's not something you have to worry about right now," Yang said defensively. Ruby let out a frustrated sigh.

"Yang, seriously."

"Why do you want to know?" Yang's hidden wisdom as a big sister kicked in and tried to force Ruby to confess.

"Ok, so I'm kinda bothered by Weiss and Ash's situation."

"That's all you had to say," Yang said understandingly. "You don't have to lie to me. It's complicated Ruby. It's a feeling that makes everything we're doing as Huntresses worthwhile. It's a warm feeling in your heart that screams at you to protect your other with everything you have."

"You and Jaune are the same in that way," Ruby admitted.

"You asked Jaune what 'love' is?" Yang beamed, interested in the other blonde's answer and reaction. "What'd he say? Or actually first, how'd he react?"

"He was actually ok with it, since he found out that it involved Weiss and Ash," Ruby gave her sister a white lie, mentally apologizing to her. "He said that it's a feeling you get when you know that you're willing to sacrifice your life for them."

"I never thought Jaune would be a person who'd say that," Yang admitted. "I mean, I guess I can see it, but he's not really the best person to say that, if you know what I mean."

"He'll get better Yang," Ruby told her. "He just needs some time."

"I'd have to agree," the muffled voice Ash called out from the closed bathroom door. The sisters stared in shock at the close door, failing to notice that the shower was turned off a while ago. "Mister Arc has been improving well under Miss Nikos' teachings."

"Oh man," Yang complained, putting her scroll away, knowing her mission failed. "How'd you know we were here?"

"These walls aren't as thick as you think they are Miss Xiao Long," he called out, his voice still muffled. Ash came out of the bathroom in a simple gray long sleeved button up shirt, dark jeans, and black rubber shoes. His usual black gloves around his hands. "Now, I don't mean to be rude, but why are the two of you here?"

"Ruby's got a question for you," Yang immediately replied, feeling slightly ashamed that she had used her own sister as a get away.

"All right then?" Ash said confused as to what question the leader developed in the short time that they weren't around each other, and making his way to the windows. "What is your question Miss Rose? I'll answer it if I can."

"You can!" Ruby replied, figuring that now was the best time to ask. "It's not even that hard. How do you define 'love?'"

"Well that depends Miss Rose," Ash replied, leaning against the small lip of the window closest to him. "What exactly do you mean? 'Love' as in the feeling, or 'love' as in the idea?"

"There's a difference?" Ruby asked, turning to her sister, who merely shrugged her shoulders.

"A mile wide, but paper thin difference Miss Rose," Ash replied, pushing away from the lip, and turning around to open the curtains. Sunlight poured in to the room, almost blindingly.

"Then give both," Yang offered.

"Then the feeling first. It's willing to help shoulder the burdens of your significant other. The positives and negatives in life, happiness and despair, joy and melancholy, peace of mind and sorrow, everything, and acting accordingly to it. Whether it's as simple as being happy for them, or as complex as taking on the role of the bad guy for their happiness."

"I think I get it," Ruby said slowly, looking at her sister once more, who was stunned by the thought out answer. "Then what about the idea?"

"It's simply the mutual feeling of love from both parties," Ash told her, a longing smile forming on him as he stared at the sky. "There's no need for something as concrete rings for marriage. For if love truly exists between two people, then there's no need for a ring."

"It seems like you've about this a lot," Yang admitted, a bit impressed. Ash chuckled a bit, shaking his head.

"I didn't Miss Xiao Long," he told her. "There was no need to think about an answer. The only way to answer such a question is to think about it as little as possible. The answer should just come to you without you even needing to stop and think."

"'The answer won't come to you if you think,'" Ruby quoted out loud. "So you're saying that marriage is pointless?"

"Absolutely not Miss Rose," Ash turned to her, wondering how she assumed such a thing. "Marriage is a promise, solidified as rings. It holds priceless sentimental value to the people involved. I'm simply saying that if one needs a ring to remind him or her about the love between their partner and them, then that love is merely false. Are you satisfied with that answer Miss Rose?"

"Yeah, thanks Ash," Ruby replied. She breathed in while gathering her courage, and asked Ash one more question. "Then does that mean that you actually love Weiss? Like truly, love her?"

"'An honest mistake,'" Ash quoted his mistress, turning his back to the sisters. "It's exactly as my mistress had called it. Nothing but a mistake."

"You can't honestly believe that," Yang said, getting annoyed at how passive the boy was.

"I do Miss Xiao Long," Ash turned to them once more, with a determined expression. "It was something I shouldn't have dared in the first place. A mistake on my part."

"But your just another person Ash," Ruby countered, earning herself a cold gaze from Ash.

"I am not just another person Miss Rose," Ash told her. "I am Miss Schnee's butler. I should know my place."

"Are you a coward?" Yang said angrily, walking up to him to grab his collar to force him to face her. "What makes you different from the rest huh Ash?"

"Believe what you want Miss Xiao Long," Ash returned the same feeling of anger towards her. Ruby tried to step in to stop the two, but Yang's hair flaring a fiery gold, and what she imagined to be a thin red smoke that seemed to engulf Ash's form, stopped her in her tracks. "But in the end, I'm her butler before I'm anyone else, just as you would be a Huntress first before the thrill seeking Yang Xiao Long. _That_ is what makes me different from the rest."

"That's your excuse!?" Yang yelled, her eyes turning red as she glared at Ash. "You're job comes first!?"

"That is the truth Miss Xiao Long!" Ash yelled back, yanking his collar from her grasp. "I don't understand why you're trying to convince me otherwise, but please accept the truth and move on from this. Miss Schnee did ask us to forget that event ever happened."

Yang threw a right straight at Ash ignoring the fact the boy still had no Aura reserves. Her fist connected, crashing against Ash's nose. The boy would have flown like he did before, but with some hidden strength, he planted forced his feet to the floor and corrected himself, glaring at the girl who had just attacked him.

"Yang!" Ruby exclaimed, her sister's actions taking her by surprise. She rushed in between the two, separating them despite an unknown fear within her. "Stop! Both of you stop!"

Yang and Ash glared at each other, ignoring the frantic girl in between them. From the door, Weiss and Blake appeared, strolling in after hearing yelling. The two saw the tense air between the brawler and butler.

"What in the world is going on here?" Weiss demanded, staying back with Blake to see how the situation will play itself out.

"I don't expect you to understand Miss Xiao Long," Ash told her in a relatively calm tone, ignoring Weiss' demand. "I simply ask of you to not include me in any of your baseless assumptions."

Ash moved past Ruby, and walked towards the broken door, past Weiss and Blake, whom have yet to have their question answered.

"Running away Ash?" Yang provoked, Ash stopped in his tracks, simply allowing the girl to continue her provocations, not wanting to strain their friendship past its limit. "I thought you're not chicken."

"I'm simply being the adult in the situation Miss Xiao Long," Ash said in a calmer demeanor. "One of us has to be."

He acknowledged Weiss and Blake and continued to head towards the door. Ruby and Weiss couldn't help but notice the butler's hands curled in tight fists. Ash stopped once more, with his right hand on the door's frame.

"Not once did I deny being a coward," Ash admitted, his grip tightening on the frame, before letting it go, desperately trying to calm down. "I'll secure us transportation."

With that, Ash left the four girls in his room. Yang's hair lost its fiery light, and her eyes returned back to their usual lilac color. Weiss stepped forward glaring at Yang, her hands turning even paler as they curled in to fists.

"What did you do?" Weiss demanded, replacing Ash in glaring down the taller girl. Her mind wandered to Ruby's question earlier and directed her glare at the leader. "Does this have something to do with your question?"

Ruby didn't respond, only looked away trying to avoid the light blue orbs of the heiress. Yang ignored the girl, trying to calm herself further. As frustrated she was towards Ash, the boy's words continued to echo in her mind, steadily convincing her that she was at fault.

"It started out with my question," Ruby answered her, unable to formulate a lie like she had done before. "It just started to grow from there."

"I thought you said it was for the professor?" Weiss asked critically, pondering whether or not she should just leave and go after Ash. "How in the world could it have led to this?"

"It's my fault," Yang owned up, blocking her sister from the glare of the heiress. She wore a conflicted and guilty expression, Ash's words and her own thoughts locked in a never-ending game of tug of war, trying to convince her of what was right. "I guess I was trying to force what I thought on Ash. We just kinda started to rip each other's throats after that. I'll go say sorry."

"Maybe you shouldn't," Weiss told her, calmer than she was a minute ago. Yang looked at her confused. "Get your thoughts together first, then talk to him. Ash will need time too."

"So what're you saying?" Yang asked, afraid that she already knew what she meant.

"It's better if Ash stays here for now," Weiss recapped, crossing her arms across her chest. "We can all conduct our research separately. You can go to that Junior fellow, and get whatever you can from him in place of Ash."

Ruby, Blake, and Yang stared at heiress, trying to view the situation in her perspective. While the tension between Yang and Ash is tense at the moment, there was no need to separate the entire team. If the team breaks apart now, then it would be no different to when Blake had struck out by herself in the not too distant past.

If Ash were to be left out of the personal team mission, then the only course of action for him would be to do whatever he could to improve his ability in combat. He might not have permission from Weiss to train in the Emerald Forest, but they knew that the boy would find some other reckless way.

"It'll be fine Weiss," Blake entered the conversation, walking up to her teammates. "If Yang is able to move past this, then surely Ash can too. Besides, he'll probably just go to Emerald Forest if he stays."

"Don't you think I know that?" Weiss countered, snapping her head to the Faunus, offended by her words. "As of right now, he and Yang have been belligerent towards each other several times. It's only been a week, far more frequent than the two of us prior to the incident at the docks."

Blake opened her mouth to say something, but whatever it was died out somewhere in her throat. A knock on the door was enough to attract all their attention, as well as breaking any tension in the air, even if for only a second.

"There's an airship going to the city within the hour," Ash reported, his attention directed towards Weiss. "It just dropped off the remaining students from the other kingdoms. Unfortunately, there won't be enough time to properly… 'investigate' the competition."

"You've been gone for a minute," Blake said, stunned and confused. "How'd you get all of that?"

"I met with Miss Goodwitch on my way to the loading docks," Ash answered, turning to the cat Faunus. "She simply relayed the information to me when I asked."

"And she didn't find it strange?" Yang asked, her previous anger towards the butler, seemingly disappeared.

"After all these years, she still has yet to find my tell," Ash responded with a devious smirk, forgetting his previous bout with the blonde brawler. "One has to wonder how it's possible."

"Your 'tell' doesn't exist," Weiss muttered, just escaping the butler's ears, but not her teammates.

"I have something I have to do," Ash told the team. "I'll meet you all at the loading docks. I shouldn't be long."

Ash bowed to Weiss before turning around, headed to a destination only he knew out of the five of them. Yang took a step forward, unsure of her decision.

"Ash wait," she called out, halting the boy in his tracks. Ash turned around, staring curiously at the blonde. She opened her mouth to speak, but Ash beat her to it.

"There's no need for you to apologize Miss Xiao Long," Ash said, smiling at the girl, already forgiving her before he came back to the room. "You merely spoke your thoughts. There's no fault in that. I'm sorry for my behavior however. I shouldn't have raised my voice."

Team RWBY stood there stunned, especially Yang, who still had her mouth slightly ajar as if she still had something to say.

"What? That's it?" Yang managed to finally ask, going towards the nearby bed, placing her hand on the headboard to steady her. "No-no-no revenge? No arguing? Nothing?"

Ash stood there in thought for a moment, while Team RWBY anxiously awaited his answer.

"No Miss Xiao Long," Ash replied, with a very miniscule amount of venom in his voice, but apparent nonetheless. "Not 'nothing.' I'll be taking a page from Miss Valkyrie's book. I want a duel."

"You want what?" Yang asked, unable to comprehend what the boy could possibly have in mind.

"A duel Miss Xiao Long," Ash repeated. "Seeing as we have to kill time either way, I can't see a better opportunity for it."

"Ash you haven't recovered your Aura," Ruby reminded him, causing Weiss and Blake to go in to a state of bewilderment. "It's the worst time for one!"

"A first strike duel Miss Rose," Ash told her, as if she was supposed to know. Weiss looked to the leader, still slightly confused, but explained to her anyway.

"It's simple and quick duel," Weiss told her. "Whoever lands a clean hit first wins. That way, even if he loses, there wouldn't be any immutable damage. That's it, right Ash?"

"That is correct Miss Schnee," Ash smiled at her, before returning his attention back to Yang for her reply. "Why not bury any remaining hostilities between us with this?"

"All right Ash," Yang said, any confusion within her was replaced an unusual thrill. "Let's do this. Miss Goodwitch would've probably pit us against each other soon anyway."

"Might as well train for it, right Miss Xiao Long?" Ash said with an amused grin, one that Yang was more than happy to return.

The remaining members of Team RWBY looked at the two as if they were insane. A butler who had no way of mitigating any form of damage, and a brawler who had absolutely no problem with dueling him.

"You're just going to let them?" Blake asked Weiss, worried about the butler.

"I trust Ash to know what he's doing," the heiress replied. "Besides, I'll be there to monitor it all."

"Thank you Miss Schnee," Ash said, turning around to leave the four once more. "There's still something I have to do, I'll meet you all at the training room."

The four members of Team JNPR peered in the room, seeing the worried expression of Ruby and Blake, the stoic expression of Weiss, and the eager expression of Yang and Ash. Knowing Team RWBY, that couldn't be anything but trouble. Ash greeted them before exiting the room and headed to wherever his destination was.

"Yang vs. Ash," Ruby told them simply. Jaune, Pyrrha, and Ren nodded confirming their trouble theory. Nora on the other hand, bounced around in glee. "This isn't really the time to get excited about this. Ash doesn't have any Aura left, and Yang doesn't know how to hold back."

"It'll be fine Ruby," Yang assured her, though in vain as the worried expression on her sister stayed. "Besides, I don't think Ash would like it if I held back."

"It's a first strike duel," Weiss reminded her leader. "It'll probably end before anything either one of them get hurt."

"Maybe you're right," Ruby admitted, pretending to not see the worried look on Weiss.

The two of them, at the very least, realize that even if it's a first strike duel, it will only end after one _clean_ hit. Any blocked blows can steal damage anyone, especially someone with no way of mitigating it.

The eight students exited the room and made their way to the training room, waiting patiently for Ash. Yang stood at the circular arena, making sure that Ember Celica was fully loaded; friend or not, she was going to fight with everything she has. The remaining seven simply sat at the sidelines, casually talking amongst themselves, and trying to ignore Nora who went on and on about how she wanted to duel Ash next; her only argument being it was she who gave Ash the idea.

After ten minutes or so, Ash entered the room. Strapped across his back and on his left arm was the sheathed sword and simple white bracer he used once against Cardin Winchester. Along with those, he had the two metal gloves in place of his usual ones.

He stepped in to the arena with Yang, while the eight students stared at the new gear on him. Some remembering the things he did to Cardin when he first wielded them.

"Ash," Weiss called out, standing up and making her way down to the arena. "I thought you sent those back."

"I tried Miss Schnee," he admitted, turning to her cautiously, not wanting to bring up any memory of the last time. "I asked Miss Winter to send it back, though she was still rather angry at me. Turns out that she had Miss Goodwitch hold on to it, just in case I changed my 'idiotic mind.' I'm sorry Miss Schnee, but it looks like I'll be continuing to wield these."

Ash knelt down on one knee to apologize to Weiss. She drew the sword from his back to examine, quickly grabbing it with both hands as to not accidently drop the blade due to its sheer weight.

"It's heavy," she commented randomly, evoking the curiosity of Ruby, Yang, and Jaune. The three made their way over, to inspect the weapon as well.

"The metal used is heavier than normal steel, but it shouldn't be that much heavier than any other sword of the same size," Ash explained as he stood up, his hand still helping support the weapon. "It's just a preference. The added weight feels better, more… normal."

The weapon was passed around between the four students interested in the weapon, Jaune drawing his own sword to compare the two. He held the blade of Crocea Mors in his right hand, and Ash's blade in the other. He struggled keeping the blade in his left hand balanced, the blade tipping down a slight.

"Ash I've been meaning to ask," Jaune started, sheathing his blade, and passing Ash's sword to Ruby, who analyzed its hilt and fuller with her sister's supervision. "Usually, someone would use a shield or maybe even another sword if they're going to partner a sword with something; but you, instead, use with a metal bracer. Why?"

"A bracer is the answer that I came up with when I made this practice," Ash answered. Jaune looked at him confused. "I studied different types of fighting styles and integrated them all to create my own style. It makes my attacks more unpredictable."

"Just like your hand to hand?" Jaune asked, wanting to confirm his thoughts. Ash nodded, with a smile.

"A metal bracer is enough to block and parry almost any blow I may receive," Ash added, adjusting the bracer on his arm, loosening and tightening the straps, moving the bracer to a more comfortable position.

He looked over to Ruby who was sluggishly swinging the sword around on her own. One has to wonder how she was able to swing Crescent Rose at super sonic speeds, but a sword far smaller than her own weapon was giving her trouble.

"You can do that with a shield too, you know," Yang told him. Ash turned to her and shook his head.

"While that is true Miss Xiao Long," Ash admitted, returning his attention back to Ruby, who now has Weiss trying to take the blade away from her before she got hurt. "A shield will also heavily limit you should you decide to wield the sword with both hands. You never know when you'll need that extra little force."

Ruby handed the blade back to Ash, who put the blade back in to its sheath. Ruby, Weiss, and Jaune stepped out of the arena while Yang and Ash made their way to opposite ends of the arena.

"The three of us will judge the match," Weiss announced to the two, referring to her, Ruby, and Jaune. "Land a clean hit or force the other out of the ring. Good luck you two."

Yang activated Ember Celica, as Ash drew the blade from his back with both hands, pointing the tip loosely at the floor. Any smile between the two disappeared, as, for right now, they are enemies.

"Any time you're ready Miss Xiao Long," Ash apprised.

"Let's make this more interesting Ash," she offered, looking to Weiss. "If I win, then you have to kiss your mistress."

Weiss took a step forward to complain, but stopped as Ash's laughter echoed throughout the room.

"All right," Ash accepted, making Weiss blush a little. "However if I win, then you mustn't bring it up ever again."

"I can live with that," Yang accepted, shrugging her shoulder. "Better put on that special lip gloss Ice Queen, it'll make it more enjoyable for the both of you."

Yang and Ash turned their attention to each other, both taking a breath. The two charged at each other as their duel began.


	9. As A Servant And As A Friend

Yang and Ash turned their attention to each other, both taking a breath. The two charged at each other as their duel began.

Yang pulled her arms to her back and shot once with both gauntlets propelling herself forward at a faster speed than Ash. She swung with her right, trying to deliver a hook to force the duel to a sudden end.

Ash raised his left hand, letting the hilt of his blade go, quickly deflecting the blow. The right gauntlet shot a shell in to the ceiling, the girl's plan to hit Ash with both a hook and a blast from her weapon. Ash swung his blade towards Yang's chest in retaliation.

Yang forcefully reeled her body back, trying to negate and reverse any momentum her attack still had to dodge the attack, but in vain. She copied Ash's movement, and raised her left hand deflecting the blade away to her left. Ash loosened his grip on the blade, the blade turning as it hit Yang's gauntlet.

Ash once again gripped the hilt, this time the blade now held as a dagger. His attack continued, the blade grinding against the girl's gauntlet. The blade now headed straight towards her throat. Yang fired a shot from her left gauntlet, allowing the recoil to propel her body away from Ash's attack. Ash jumped away from Yang, and returned his blade to his right hand.

The two of them measured each other once more, not wanting to make a single mistake, wanting to win, especially with the added bonus to winning. Ash took the initiative and charged towards Yang, his blade only in his right hand, keeping his left hand free to defend him should he need it.

Ash held the range advantage in close quarters combat, but Yang held the advantages in overall range combat and inner close quarters combat. That meant that he can't allow much distance to be made between him and Yang, otherwise she would destroy him with her explosive shells. It also meant that he couldn't allow her to trap him in her close quarters range. His window is slim when Yang is his opponent, but it was still possible.

Yang put her gauntlets up, prepared to defend and retaliate. She knew almost nothing about Ash's fighting style. She knew that it was the combination of several different styles, but which ones? That unknown gave him an advantage, but as long as she wasn't careless, that advantage would become minimal.

Ash feigned swinging his blade horizontally at her body once more, aiming for her to waste movement. As he predicted, Yang would try to prevent the blow from connecting, but she swung her right gauntlet at him pulling the trigger to shoot a shell at him.

Ash pulled his body back enough to barely dodge the blast, the shell exploding on the floor a couple feet away from him. He put his left foot forward and swung his armored left fist at the girl. The metal of his glove grazed her cheek as she pulled her head back to dodge the attack. A few strands of her hair got caught in the seams of the metal and cloth of his gauntlet. Ash and Yang jumped back, getting as much distance between one another as much as possible.

At the sight of the strands, Yang's semblance became active. Her hair went ablaze with golden Aura, and her once lilac eyes, now a deeper color of red than that of her sister's cloak.

The eight spectators' stomach suddenly lurched at the sight, as far as they know; Ash still had no reserve Aura. Should he even be grazed by one of Yang's attacks, the damage may still be enough to end the duel. A worried expression graced the faces of the three judges.

A satisfied leer formed on Ash's lips, as a visible, but thin red smoke started to engulf his form. He was determined to win, for the sake of Weiss; though losing still had some _benefits_.

Yang cocked her gauntlets and shot off three shots of Ember Celica at Ash, two from her left and one from her right. Ash steadied himself and balanced his stance. In three quick and precise slices, Ash managed to cut the three shells in half, the pieces exploding near him as they fell to the ground.

Yang immediately charged the butler after her ranged attack failed. Leading with her right, pulling the trigger once more before it could connect. Ash once again, raised his armored left hand and deflected the attack and shell, her semblance providing her with increased strength.

If Ash hadn't balanced his stance earlier, the force of her blow would've knocked him to the ground at the very least. Ash twirled around and tried to deliver a roundhouse kick to her exposed right temple, but Yang managed to duck under it.

Ash jumped back when he could, grabbed the hilt of his blade with both hands and charged forward, swinging his blade aiming for her left shoulder with the intent of bringing it down to the lower right of her body. Yang fired a shell from her right gauntlet once again, aiming for his shoulder, thinking that her shell would travel faster than the butler's attack.

With some unknown strength and speed, Ash adjusted his swing a little and sliced the shell in half before it made contact with his body. The pieces continued to move behind him, exploding as they hit the floor.

Ash let the hilt go with his left hand just in case Yang decided to attack once more in succession. As he predicted, Yang swung a left hook towards Ash's temple, swinging her body along with the swing to add momentum and force. Ember Celica fired off another shell, the recoil that would usually slow the blow down, now did nothing, as Yang's semblance was now active.

Ash pulled his head back, barely dodging the attack; the shell crashed to the floor exploding between them, but Yang's attack has yet to finish. She swung one more hook, this time with her right, twisting her body with the blow just like before, shooting off another shell, following the combo that she had used against Junior the night they first met. The blow managed to graze Ash's right forearm, immediately making Ash lose most of the feeling he had in it, but managed to move out of the way of the shell, forcing it to explode on the ground as well.

Ash could do nothing but continuously dodge as the girl continuously attacked, alternating fists, firing off a shot each time she did. The following left hook, managed to graze him just above his left eyebrow, cutting the skin and causing it to bleed. After that, the blow grazed his left arm, bruising the bicep but still couldn't be counted as a clean hit.

Four more followed that, Ash being forced to contort his body in uncomfortable and unstable ways to dodge to consecutive attacks. Yang stopped her attacks for a moment, for some reason. Ash took the chance to create some distance between the two. Ash took a second to catch whatever portion of his breath he was able to, before wiping some sweat and some blood that pooled in his left eyebrow.

Ash's right forearm recovered a little, but his grip on the hilt loosened slightly, trying to hold it as tightly as he did before.

Yang righted her breathing, looking at Ash, analyzing him as best she could. He managed to catch his breath before her, but he was definitely more injured. None of his attacks had yet to even graze her, but the duel only required one clean hit. As of now, even her attacks that grazed him were pointless. If there were a way to turn the situation around, then he would find it – if she let him.

Yang shot one more shell with her left gauntlet behind the butler, not allowing him to find a way to beat her, and forcing him to jump closer to her. Yang charged at him once more, firing off another shell from each gauntlet in tandem, forcing butler to come even closer to her. A smile formed on her, when he was forced within arm's reach of her.

Yang jumped high in to the air and slammed her right fist down on the ground, using a round to shoot the floor, sending shrapnel flying towards Ash. Ash had no choice but use his armored left forearm to block the shrapnel, getting rid of his sight on the brawler.

Yang took his momentary blindness and lunged straight towards him, reeling her left fist back and brought crashing towards Ash ready to fire off another shell when it connects. Even if Ash somehow managed to block her attack, the force would render him defenseless for another attack.

Ash barely saw Yang charge towards him through the cracks between his fingers, and countered immediately. Ash threw a similar straight with his left fist, to meet with Yang's. The two fists connected, the shell from Ember Celica exploding immediately, causing damage to both.

Yang's Aura protected her from the overall force of the blast, only the heat from the explosion lingering around her fingers and knuckles. Ash on the other hand, was not so lucky. The metal of his glove defended against most of the damage from the shell, but the force of the Yang's punch, rendered the hand useless.

Ash's hand shook in pain and plain shock, but he still had his right hand and his blade, that would have to be enough. His left arm dangled at his sight, still visibly shaking.

Yang attacked once again before Ash could recover any further from his injuries. She felt a little guilty about fighting him while he had no Aura, but she quickly dismissed it, as she knew that he has just as much of a chance of winning with or without his Aura.

Yang reeled her left arm once more, firing off another shot prematurely in an attempt to blind him just long enough for her to end the duel. Ash once more raised his sword in the air and quickly brought it down, cutting the shell in half, but with his left hand still shaking in pain, he had no other way to defend himself. Yang reeled her right fist back and once she had a clear view of Ash's cheek and temple, she brought crashing towards him.

Unfortunately for her, Ash just barely ducked under the blow, grazing his left cheek. The graze formed a cut on his cheek.

Ash stabbed his blade in to the floor, and released it from his grip to force it up, intending to deliver a counter uppercut on to the blonde. Yang jumped back, dodging the counter. Ash grabbed his sword once again, forcing his left hand to tightly grip the hilt along with his right, despite its protests against moving. Ash charged towards the blonde this time, swinging his sword aiming it across her chest from her left shoulder.

Yang brought her gauntlets up, blocking the blow, her eyes scowling as an unnatural strength came from the blow. The thin red smoke around Ash grew deeper in color and became more prominent. A growing strength in the blow rose up, forcing the brawler's gauntlets away from her. Yang was forced back a few feet as the attack completed.

A strange bewilderment overcame Yang and the spectators for a moment, the force of the swing taking them by surprise. But more than that, the red smoke around Ash stunned them all. None of them knew what the smoke was, not even Weiss.

Ash charged the girl once more, swinging his blade in precise and quick strokes, aiming to cut her in different angles and different lengths of cuts. It was now Yang on the receiving end of a combo; vertical, horizontal, slanted, and thrust, whatever attack he was able to make, he made. Yang could do nothing but dodge and jump away, unable to find any open window to counterattack. After what seemed like hours, Ash swung his blade wide once more, with Yang barely able to block it with her gauntlets. The same unnatural force was packed in the attack, forcing Yang back even more.

Her semblance made her stronger however, she stood her ground, and made sure her stance was balanced. Cocking her right gauntlet back and pulled the trigger as she thrust her fist forward. The gauntlet clicked, but nothing came out. As she realized that she had ran out of ammo, Ash was already lunging towards her.

Ash brought his blade to his left and sliced at Yang horizontally high up at Yang's chest. Yang jumped back to dodge the attack bringing her gauntlets up to her chest to block the attack just in case, successful as Ash's right hand came in to her view; open, holding nothing. Her eyes panned to his left hand, panicked. In his left hand was the blade she assumed she had dodged.

Ash brought the blade across her stomach, Yang unable to do anything as her arms were still up, blocking any attacks aimed at her chest. Yang was forced back even more, but she knew that she had already lost. Her Aura blocked the attack, but it was a clean hit nevertheless.

Yang fell to the ground, unable to correct herself due to the blow. Ash landed on one knee a yard away from her.

"Stop!" Weiss yelled, her voice echoing throughout the room. Ash walked over to Yang and held out his right hand to help her up. She took it with a smile, any hostility between the two now gone, stuck in their not too distant past.

The fiery golden Aura of Yang's hair dimmed down until it was completely extinguished. Her red eyes returned to its mesmerizing lilac color. The red smoke around Ash's form dissipated.

"Are you all right Miss Xiao Long?" he asked, helping her get back up on her feet.

"I almost had you," she complained, reloading Ember Celica with new belts of ammunition as Ash sheathed his blade. "If I had one more shell, then you would be making out with Weiss right now."

"Well you didn't win," Weiss said walking up to the two alongside Jaune and Ruby. "Now, you can never bring it up ever again."

"Never mind that," Pyrrha called out from the stands, standing up along with the others. "What was that red smoke?"

Ash suddenly turned away from Yang, lurched over and coughed out blood. The members of Team RWBY and Team JNPR immediately rushed to his side. Weiss went to him and steadied him, rubbing his back, not knowing what to do to help her butler.

"What happened?" Pyrrha asked, running up to them along with everyone else. "There's no way he could've been hit without us realizing could it?"

"No," Yang defended, moving her hands to help Ash, but retracted them when she realized she was unable to do anything. "I only grazed him."

Another series of coughs overcame Ash, with a little more blood splattering on the floor, but quickly recovered.

"That was my semblance Miss Nikos," Ash answered with a strained smile. "It boosts my overall strength and speed when active only limited by how much I sacrifice. Unfortunately, it comes with drawbacks."

"Sacrifice? Drawbacks?" Weiss echoed, glaring at the boy, with eyes that demanded explanation.

Ash fixed his posture with the help of Weiss and stared at the blood splatter he made as he wiped his mouth for any blood.

"My semblance is special in which I am able to fuel it with the excess energy in our bodies instead of my Aura," Ash explained, as he took note of how his badly strained his lungs were for future references. "Whether you run or jog, no matter how tired you become, you somehow are still able to continue throughout your day. That is that excess energy."

"That doesn't explain why you were coughing up blood," Weiss countered glaring at her butler, slightly angry with him for worrying her over and over again even though she ordered him specifically not to do so.

"It strains my muscles as a result," Ash explained, able to stand on his own once again. "I've trained to decrease the drawback as much as I could ever since I found out, but I still have yet to find a way to reduce the drawback's effect on my lungs. Though usually I wouldn't have to worry about it because of my Aura."

"And you used it anyway?" Ruby asked, wondering what drew the boy to use his semblance in the situation he was in.

"I had to win for my mistress," he replied. Jaune quickly clamping his hands against his ears to avoid hearing Ash say 'mistress.' "I believed it was what she would've wanted. Also, I don't think she would appreciate it if her first kiss went to me."

Weiss held the boy closer to her side, while some voice in her mind continuously yelled 'Idiot,' wanting Weiss to verbally say it to him.

"Really?" Jaune criticized the boy, somehow doubting his words. "You're willing to injure yourself just so Weiss' first kiss doesn't go to you?"

"Put it that way Mister Arc, then I'd much rather kiss my mistress," Ash replied. Weiss glared at the two, as if they were talking about her behind her back. "You make it seem like I would've died. If that were the case, then I would've gladly kissed her."

"Ok enough!" Weiss yelled, unable to handle anymore. "Ash you can no longer use your semblance without your Aura, under any circumstances."

"I'm afraid I cannot promise you that Miss Schnee," Ash replied grimly, smiling at her with eyes that fear for her. "Should there ever come a time where I need my semblance to save you, then I will use it. Matters not if I'm at Death's door."

"Well either way it's a plus for me when we go against each other in Miss Goodwitch's class," Yang said optimistically, trying to change the subject. "If you have to drain your Aura, just to use your semblance, then I just have to wait it out to win."

Her teammates and Team JNPR stared at Yang questioningly, as if fighting truly was the only thing in her mind. Ash, on the other hand laughed. He gently removed himself from Weiss's grip and looked at Yang.

"You never know Miss Xiao Long," he said playing along with her, making everyone but Yang stare at him questioningly as well. Yang couldn't be more delighted. "While I may have won today due to the rules restricting your semblance, there will always be a small window of opportunity."

"Come on Ash, let's face it," Yang said, crossing her arms just underneath her chest. "The only other way for you to beat me is that shoulder pinch thing."

"Oh you mean this?" Ash said with a devious smile on his face. He reached out for Yang's right shoulder, only for her to unfold her arms and throw a straight aiming for the butler's nose, forgetting that he couldn't do so anyway, not without his Aura.

Ash ducked under the fist, grabbed it, and swept her off her feet with one of his own. As she started to fall over, Ash reached over and wrapped his free arm around her back. He steadied the both of them just as he's done in the Team JNPR dorm room earlier.

"Checkmate Miss Xiao Long," he said playfully. He righted the two of them and let her go, moving back to Weiss' side.

"Ash, let me quickly ask you," Yang said, glaring at the butler. "Have you ever been with someone before? Or are you that shameless?"

"Ash isn't like you Xiao Long," Weiss countered, moving in between her and Yang, as if defending the butler from danger.

"I've never been with anyone Miss Xiao Long," Ash answered anyway, gently holding Weiss' shoulders in an attempt to calm her. "There's no one in the world that I'd rather be by than Miss Schnee."

Weiss unknowingly leaned closer to him, while the others cooed at his answer. A satisfied feeling began to swell within Weiss, glad to have such a person by her side, though a bit guilty that he's prioritized her higher than romancing some lucky girl.

"You guys really should get together-together," Nora told the two, earning a glare from the heiress.

"I, more than likely, have one more in me," Ash said out loud, aimed mainly at his mistress. "That is if you'd allow me Miss Schnee."

"I never pegged you for a jester Ash" Weiss said sarcastically, annoyed at the persistent of the butler. She removed herself from Ash and turned to look at him. "Do you really want to disobey me that much?"

"Technically," Ash said jokingly, much to the annoyance of his mistress, and the amusement of the rest. "I already have disobeyed you Miss Schnee. And while I'd much rather keep you from getting angry at me, you look adorable when you are."

The others laughed, as Weiss turned pink, wanting to complain, but knew that it was what the butler wanted. Instead she marched away towards, leaving the eight of them laughing. Ash gave her a few seconds head start before he went after her to apologize once more.

He quickly ran to his room and washed his mouth once more, not wanting to leave the taste of iron, and the smell of blood in his breath. Once done, he continued his game of Hide and Seek with Weiss.

He made his way back to the rooftop to see if he could spot from there once again. Unexpectedly, he spotted her there, leaning towards the railing.

"Miss Schnee?" he asked with concern in his voice. Weiss turned around and took in his form for a brief second before motioning for him to join her. As if in a trance, Ash walked up to her.

"Ash how do you do it?" Weiss asked the boy, her eyes spelt absolute confusion and loneliness. Ash tilted his head, confused as to what his mistress meant by the question. Luckily she was more than happy to clarify. "Haven't you, even once, thought about your future? Even starting a relationship?"

Taken back by the question and the look of want in Weiss' eyes, Ash thought for a bit. He searched his memory for times like that, to surprisingly find a lot more than he expected.

"I have Miss Schnee," he admitted, making Weiss feel guiltier than before. However, Ash wouldn't allow her to assimilate the blame on to her. "I've dreamt of times when I would simply watch you with your future husband happy together, play Hide and Seek with you and your children, serve all of you until the day I die; those are the futures that I've mainly dreamt about. As for relationships… I can't really say that it has ever come to mind, other than a few times when I was still going through puberty."

"Why?" she immediately asked, the feeling of guilt within her increasing in potency. "If you just stopped being my personal butler for even a day, someone out there would absolutely take interest in you."

"What if I don't want someone out there?" Ash muttered under his breath, not wanting Weiss to hear the confession. He found the thought of someone 'out there' taking an interest in him pointless. Weiss faced the rails and the horizon once more, showing her back to Ash. "That may be so Miss Schnee, but you are simply too much to handle for me to take a break even for one day,"

Before Weiss could turn to face the boy, he embraced her from behind, placing his hands on her flat stomach. His body lay flush against her back, his chest on her shoulders, and his stomach against her spine. He buried his face in her hair, taking in her scent.

Weiss' heart skipped a beat at the action, finding the boy's warmth more comforting than anything else in the world. She continued to stare at the horizon, not wanting to disturb the boy against her back, simply staying like that for a minute or two without either one saying a word.

"I apologize for teasing you Miss Schnee," Ash apologized against her hair. "I simply wanted to see your expressions. As you want to know everything about me, I wish to know everything about you. Your expressions, your thoughts, everything."

"Foolish boy," she joked, reaching behind her to cup his cheek. "Just like you, you simply need to ask me."

"Then please tell me," Ash started, trying to form a question that won't be taken in a different direction than intended. "Why is it that you've never been with anyone before? You are a beautiful noble lady, surely you've taken interest in someone before."

"I'm just like you Ash," she admitted, placing her hands on the ones on her stomach. "Many have tried to court me, but they were only after money. I've turned away from those kinds of people, but if I fail to become a Huntress, then Father may force me to marry someone like that."

"You won't fail Miss Schnee," he reassured her, the heiress smiling at the kind words. "You have power that far surpasses your father's expectations, and you'll continue to get stronger as time goes on. However, even if he forces you in to marriage, I promise to get you back."

"Don't make promises you can't keep Ash," Weiss reminded him as a feeling of loneliness took hold of her again; Ash's warmth being the only thing that kept her anchored.

"I never do Miss Schnee," Ash held her tighter as if protecting her from that future possibility. "I'll set you free even if it costs me my life."

"If you keep saying those kind of things," Weiss started feeling her ears turn red. "You'll make me fall for you, you know."

"That wouldn't be so bad," Ash admitted, feeling himself turn red as well. Weiss smiled in content as she felt the boy's heart beat faster against her back. "To admit to the world that its most beautiful lady is my lover, why, I'll have every single man in the world jealous of me."

Weiss laughed at the butler's exaggeration, getting rid of any negative thought that she harbored. Ash laughed along with her, enjoying this time spent alone with her. Both feeling satisfied, the world seemingly desolate except for just the two of them on top of that roof top.

Below, they could see the students from other schools wandering about, looking around Beacon and their ever so color coordinated friends headed for the airship that's soon to depart.

"Miss Schnee?" Weiss turned her head to her butler's voice, showing him a bright smile. He removed his right hand from Weiss' stomach and produced a roll of gauze from his pocket, showing it to her. "As my fresh scars still prevent me from applying it on my own, would you mind helping me?"

"It would be my pleasure Ash," Ash stepped away from Weiss and looked around to see if they were alone, before unbuttoning his shirt and removing the sheathed sword and bracer. The shirt fell to the ground revealing the scars he received the day before and the black stumps that used to be wings.

Ash handed her the gauze and turned around, allowing the heiress to gaze upon his wings once more. Weiss reached out and touched the objects on his back. Ash grunted in discomfort still not used to someone examining his secret to this degree. Weiss stopped, looking apologetically at the butler.

"It's all right Miss Schnee," he told her, still facing away, not wanting to show her what involuntary expression he could be making. "We have time and I've been hiding from you for too long."

Weiss continued her examination. It's leathery feel in some parts, the way it twitches every time her fingertips brush against them, and the way it seems to flap every time she leaves it – like a dog's tail wagging when its happy – she observed every single thing. When the irrational part of her mind tried to take control, she let it.

She stopped for a second, looking up to see if Ash was looking, instead she saw him trying to take in air, his ears burning red. A devious smile formed itself on to Weiss, as she listened to her irrational thoughts.

Memories flooded her thoughts, memories of Ash's teases ever since he'd been assigned to her. Her mind and every fiber of her being all agreed on one thing:

 _It's time for some payback._

She stuffed the gauze in her pocket and leaned in close to his wings, giving the tip of the right one a small and innocent kiss. Ash immediately reacted to it, falling to his knees, as he let out a groan, biting on his lower lip to muffle it.

Weiss laughed and laughed as Ash tried to drain his cheeks of blood, and get his breathing back to normal. Once Ash managed to right his frantic breathing, he turned to Weiss with a playful glare. He got up and took only a single step, lingering there for an unknown amount of time.

Weiss managed to calm her laughter enough to notice the boy's rather unnerving stare and grin. She swallowed dryly, her laughter coming to small giggles, before completely stopping.

"Ash?" she called out, backing up against the railing as he slowly got closer. "Ash? Forgive me? Please?"

When Ash made no notion to respond, Weiss tried to run past the boy, and hopefully make it to the door. Unfortunately, he caught her by her petite waist and held her against his body.

"Ash unha—" Weiss tried to demand her release, but wasn't able to finish as a yelp made forced its way from her throat when her captor placed a gentle kiss on her neck. A chuckle reverberated from Ash's chest.

"What was that Weiss?" Ash said purposely saying her given name, his lips and breath brushing against her neck. Weiss' face flushed at the feeling. "I can't understand you if you stop in the middle of your sentence."

"Unhand m—" Weiss tried again, but another yelp forced its way through when she felt Ash's lips on the nape of her neck.

"Hmm? Unhand what?" Ash asked as he exposed a small portion of the girl's shoulder and gently sunk his teeth in, eliciting an unexpected moan from his captive. "I simply don't have anything to give you right now Weiss."

"Ash, stop," Weiss managed to mewl. Ash ignored her and traced the edge of her hair with his lips, stopping at her ear. Ash purposely brushed his lower lip lightly against her helix, noting the delightful expressions that his mistress showed at the moment. "Ash, stop please."

The butler listened to her request, removing his lips from her ear, but kept her in his arms. She panted, trying to correct her breathing once more. Should anyone walk in through the only door leading to the rooftop and saw the scene, rumors would most definitely be spread. Ash embracing the Schnee heiress, his bare chest against her back, while she was panting with cheeks stained pink.

Once Weiss had her breath back once again, she moved her legs towards the center if the spacious rooftop, with Ash in tow. She spun around and faced him with a certain hunger in her eyes.

"Weiss?" Ash called, unsure of what he's done to his mistress. She wrapped her arms around his neck, with his arms still on her waist, as if forever locked there.

Weiss slowly pulled herself closer to the butler, her breath warm as it collided with his. Ash tried his best not to lose himself in the situation, but to no avail. He found himself leaning closer, wanting to claim the thing that he was denied earlier that morning.

In a flash of a second, Weiss drew Myrtenaster from her hip and placed glyphs around Ash's wrists and ankles, lifting the boy in to the air, enough so that he was face to face with her.

"Oh Ash," Weiss said, rotating the Dust filled chambers of her weapon, trying to decide the butler's punishment. "You seemed to have gotten cocky under my sister. I don't know what may have happened, but you will be—"

Weiss was interrupted by Ash's laughter, the boy unable to contain it any longer. Unfortunately the glyphs holding him up disappeared, and he fell to the ground, unable to even yell in panic. Weiss started to laugh as well, sitting down by the boy's head, with her legs to her side – bent at her knees – supporting herself with her left hand, wanting to check if he was okay.

Ash pushed his upper body off the ground and started to laugh along with her. He dragged himself towards her and simply laid his head on her lap as Weiss brushed the boy's hair with her right hand's fingers. The two of them continued to laugh like they did back when they were younger at the Schnee family house.

"That was well played Weiss," Ash admitted, still using her given name – not that she minded. Weiss looked at Ash's eyes, as she continued to brush his hair off his forehead. "I never thought that you'd play with my wings like that. I somewhat regret telling you that they were sensitive."

"I try my best Ash, you know that," Weiss countered, giving the boy an angelic smile. "But to think you'd lay your hands on your mistress, you've become rather bold."

"However, it doesn't seem like I'm the only one who has gotten bold," Ash told her. A victorious look formed on Weiss, making the two of them laugh once more. "Using your first kiss as bait, it seems like something that Miss Xiao Long would do."

"I never thought it would actually work on you," Weiss admitted, placing on her right hand on Ash's bare forehead, his skin cool to the touch.

"I can only resist for so long Weiss," Ash admitted, simply stating his thoughts immediately due to the euphoria he felt with her in the moment. "Besides, to give my first kiss to you would be delightful."

Ash laughed, but the confession confused Weiss, merely staring at him as he laughed. Weiss continued brushing his hair with her fingers, an idea presenting itself to her.

"Then how about this?" Weiss said, calling for his attention. He stopped his laughing, listening to her intently. "If you defeat me, I'll fulfill that wish of yours."

"I will have to refuse," Ash said with a gentle smile. Weiss felt embarrassed and ashamed for suggesting such a thing, but dismissed the feeling at Ash's next words. "Don't treat yourself as a prize to be won. It's your life. While, yes, the offer tempts me to no end, you must keep that kiss for the one that you love."

"Say it like that and I might start to think that you actually love me," Weiss told the boy, her smile disappearing in to a longing stare. Ash closed his eyes, but kept his smile.

"I do love you Miss Schnee," Ash admitted, reverting back to calling her as a servant should – something that Weiss took note of. Weiss looked at the boy in confusion, but his shut eyes made it difficult to read the boy even if she was able to. "I love you the way I should, I love you the way you want me to, as a servant and as a friend."

A single tear fell out of the boy's left eye, to which he quickly wiped away with his bare shoulder.

"Ash?" Weiss asked, worried about the boy.

"It's nothing Miss Schnee," he admitted, as another tear left his right eye, he quickly wiped it away with his shoulder. "I'm just happy to be here with you, laughing like we did before."

"Such a simple man, it doesn't take much to make you happy."

"Just for you to stay safe and happy Miss Schnee. That is all I require to be happy."

* * *

It didn't take long for Weiss and Ash to rejoin the group by the airship. Ash had his shirt and gear back on with the gauze around his chest and shoulders, after being convinced by Weiss that it would prove to be more comfortable, and so far she was correct. It proved to be less bulky and the gauze seemed to stay in place permanently.

The three members of Team RWBY and Team JNPR were casually talking when Weiss and Ash arrived.

"Hey did you guys kiss and make up?" Yang asked as the two approached. Ruby shook her head at her sister's choice of words.

"More or less," Weiss answered, not bothering to acknowledge her teammate's intended tease. Ruby and Yang looked at each other, wondering what the heiress' unusual response was about. Ruby turned to her partner, with a questioning look.

"Did you guys actually _kiss_ and make up?" Ruby asked, emphasizing the word 'kiss.' Weiss let out a sigh at the question, deciding to ignore her. Instead, she turned to Team JNPR wondering why they were here.

"Did my dear teammates recruit the four of you?" she asked, ignoring the protests of Ruby about being ignored.

"No," Jaune answered for his team. "Ruby filled us in on what you guys plan to do, but we won't be able to help much."

"And I said we'll be able to be their bodyguards," Nora complained with a pout. "You never know what's gonna happen."

"Nora they are well trained," Ren said, trying to calm his childhood friend. "I don't think they need bodyguards."

"But Weiss has a bodyguard," Nora pointed out, pointing to Ash, who stood there as if he had forgotten his role. "She's well trained, but she has one."

"I am a butler before bodyguard Miss Valkyrie," he explained. "I am only her bodyguard if I deem she's in danger. Also, this is nothing more than gathering information with some… _trusted_ info brokers. There's no need for a threatening hammer wielder."

"'Threatening?'" Nora echoed in glee. A wide grin formed on her face, giving the butler a thumb up. "All right Ash! I'll leave protecting Team RWBY in your hands."

"My thanks Miss Valkyrie," Ash replied bowing to her. Weiss gave him a questioning look as if asking 'How'd you handle that?' He only replied with a light chuckle.

Team RWBY and Ash entered the airship and soon they were en route to the city. The five teens stood by the large windows overlooking the land beneath them. The four members of Team RWBY went over their plan, while Ash looked out the window and down at the building that passed by.

He scanned the city for anything that stood out, spotting Junior's club in the distance. Nothing of note stood out, biting back a curse at himself, criticizing himself for thinking that the White Fang would make a move in broad daylight.

"Hey Ash," Ruby called out, snapping the butler from his trance. He turned to her, but kept an eye on whatever part of the city he could. "How do you know that big guy at the club will even help us? I mean don't people like that usually demand money?"

"I've managed to grab a few favors from him ever since I met him Miss Rose," Ash explained, a mischievous smile forming on him. "He'll gladly answer our questions if it means being free from me."

"It kinda seems like he hates you," Ruby concluded innocently, making Ash laugh lightly.

"You all merely assumed that I have many _friends,_ " Ash said, putting air quotations around the word 'friends.' "No, in truth, these friends of mine hold nothing but spite towards me. They are only bound to me by favors I've accumulated throughout the years. So far, only one person has been released from me. I used up my last favor from her when I requested a certain book."

"Umm sorry?" Blake apologized remembering the book that she left at the dorm room.

"It's quite all right Miss Belladonna," Ash reassured her, laughing lightly. "I never asked for her to do anything in return, it's simply how she works."

"How are you so sure that this Junior has the information we're looking for?" Weiss asked her butler, skeptical about the knowledge of someone who runs a club as a business.

"Don't worry about it Ice Queen," Yang told her. "Junior knows everything that goes on in Remnant… well, almost everything."

"Actually Miss Xiao Long," Ash corrected, the brawler turning to him confused. "Since we're asking for information about the White Fang, there's someone better suited. He let it slip once during one of our deals. I unfortunately didn't bother to ask for the name; a mistake on my part, I admit."

The five teens moved to the large window and looked down on the city, scanning whatever building they managed to get a look at long enough as the airship flew past them.

"So somewhere in this city is someone who knows pretty much everything about the White Fang?" Yang asked, unsure if they'll be able to find such a person, or if such a person even exists.

"According to Junior, yes," Ash replied, frowning at the thought of the possibility that they'll just be led on a wild goose chase.

The airship soon landed, and released its passengers in to the city. Unfortunately, the airship dropped them off at the far side of the city from Junior's club. Yang voiced out her concern about the distance, stating that it would take them till night fall to reach the club – an obvious exaggeration.

Ash pulled out his scroll and called a 'friend,' moving just outside earshot of the team. He ended the call with a smile, and releasing yet another person from his list of favors.

Soon, a small black limo pulled up in front of them and the driver came out in a hurry, throwing the keys to the butler. Ash caught it and the driver ran away from the vicinity screaming 'Goodbye forever Valentine.'

"What was that?" Blake asked utterly confused by the scene. The team turned to Ash who stood there baffled, holding out the keys he's received. He turned to them with a just as confused expression.

"I guess I was just given a limo," he announced, still confused by the event. He made his way to the driver side of the limo, motioning the girls to get in. "I just asked for a ride… Oh, I see."

The girls got in the back and simply relaxed, cool air blowing against their frames, with enough room for the four of them lie down and sleep. A wall with a small open window in the middle separated the back from the front.

"Mistake or not, it was a good deal Ash," Yang said already relaxing as much as she could in the vehicle's leather seat, until a realization came to mind. "Wait, you can drive this thing right?"

The four members of Team RWBY looked through the window, at Ash. He turned to them with a slightly worried expression.

"How hard can it be?" he asked them. The four girls blinked at him once, before heading out the door, fearing for their lives. Ash laughed, stopping them in their tracks. He held out his scroll and maneuvered through its menus, pulling up his license. "You all can relax, I can drive."

The four members of Team RWBY went over their plan once again with Ash just listening to the four, confirming or denying whenever he was asked. Hours have already passed as they drove around the town in a some sort of patrol. They soon passed by a demonstration by General Ironwood, with something gigantic completely veiled next to him. Ash slowed to a stop, simply watching the unveiling of a mechanized armor along with his four passengers.

"The Atlesian Knight-200 combat androids and the Atlesian Paladin-290," he informed them, scowling at the gigantic figure and hordes of humanoid androids. "The 200's are to replace the old 130's. Far superior in any manner, and equipped with the best equipment that Atlas technology has to offer. The same goes for the 290. It can either be piloted and it can be left with the built in AI."

"Not a fan?" Yang asked him, noting the look of despise on him.

"This is nothing more than a show of power Miss Xiao Long," he replied, turning his attention back to the road in front of him. Ash drove away from the spectacle with the desire to wipe his memory of it. "I understand that it's all just to keep everyone feeling safe, but I can't see it as anything other than pointless."

"Oh come on Ash," Ruby said excited to have seen the robot. "That thing could probably kill a million Grimm!"

"That's just it Miss Rose," Ash countered, freely expressing his opinions. "Train someone enough, and they'd be able to achieve the same feat. However, the creatures of Grimm aren't the only danger we face."

"You're talking about the White Fang," Blake said defensively, scowling at the butler. Ash let out a sigh, cursing his word choice.

"I apologize if I seemed like I was blaming the White Fang Miss Belladonna," he replied, looking back at the four girls through the rear view mirror, noting the scowl on Blake. "But yes, I am referencing the White Fang. However, I am also referencing others."

The reply defused Blake, joining her teammates in thinking about whom else he could be referencing.

"While yes, as of right now, the White Fang is the easiest to blame for all of this," Ash continued, halting the girls from trying to figure out whom else he meant. "I simply refuse to believe that the White Fang is truly at the center of all this. What we know right now, is that the White Fang has sided themselves with Roman Torchwick, who is still out there. That means that their viewpoint has expanded."

"You think that they have another goal?" Weiss asked, trying to understand much of Ash's reasoning.

"Another direction Miss Schnee," he replied, as they entered the dark neighborhood around Junior's club. "Their goal is still one and the same: the _equality_ of Faunus kind to humans. They simply found, or at least they think they did, another direction to that goal. And something tells me that there's another power involved, guiding them, hiding in plain sight."

"What do you think that is?" Weiss asked, watching her butler bite his lower lip out of frustration.

"That's what I aim to ask this secret broker Miss Schnee, but whoever they are, I believe that it's only a matter of time until they figure out the 200's and the 290's weakness."

"What weakness is that?" Blake asked, astonished by the butler's knowledge on the matter.

"The AI's of both the 200's and 290's are linked to a hive mind," Ash answered, his scowl intensifying at the thought.

Their conversation stopped there, and soon they found themselves on the steps leading to Junior's club. The area was desolate, void of life, as it was still the middle of the day, perfect for their purposes.

The five of them entered the club with Ash in front, only to be met with dozens of henchmen with varying weapons. The girls of Team RWBY readied their weapons, but Ash held out his hand, stopping them from fighting. He unsheathed his own sword, and took a step forward, the henchmen taking a step back in caution. Ash raised the sword and drove it in to the floor, kneeling down, keeping his hand on the grip.

"Junior!" Ash yelled threateningly and full of intent to deliver. His voice echoed throughout the empty club and unnerving the henchmen while stunning the girls. "You have until I pull out my sword to get out here."

Nothing moved, not the henchmen, not the girls, and not the owner who still had ye to show up. Ash shook his head and slowly started to pull the sword out, the metal grinding against the floor. One of the henchmen moved in, only to be send flying back by a glyph that suddenly appeared on the floor. Ash looked back and Weiss gave him a confident nod. Several more glyphs appeared around Ash, and not a single henchman wanted to touch it.

"Quarter way out Junior!" Ash announced, his voice echoing again throughout the empty room.

The usual DJ appeared from behind his set and aimed his fully automatic submachine gun at the group. Ruby saw the masked henchman, and quickly took aim, and shot. The heavy caliber bullet hit the DJ dead on the chest, removing him from the situation, as fast as he appeared.

"Half way out Junior!" Ash announced once more, his voice echoing once more. "I doubt welcoming people to a destroyed dance hall is good for business! As it stands, there are two people here who have destroyed this place once already! And there are three more who are more than capable of doing the same!"

"All right!" the gruff voice of Hei Xiong Jr. called out from behind the VIP room curtains. He stepped out already in his managerial vest and tie. "This better be good Valentine, I'd usually still be relaxing right now. You just had to make an appointment in the middle of the day."

"If you recognize that we had an appointment," Ash said threateningly, as he completely pulled the sword from the ground, pointing the tip at the henchmen that still point their weapons at him and the girls behind him. "Then what's with the welcoming party?"

"I just forgot to tell them," he admitted, waving his arm at his henchmen. The black and red suited men all dispersed, as if nothing ever happened. "Now let's get this over with."

"Out here," Ash demanded, glaring at the club owner. Junior let out a sigh and sat at one of the stools in front of the bar. Ash turned to the four girls behind him with a cautious look. "You all may order whatever you want. Just give the bartender my name. I have to deal with Junior alone."

"Good luck Ash," Weiss said, noting the caution of her butler, along with her teammates.

"Please stay within earshot," Ash warned, looking left and right fearing that they were being observed. "It's best not to trust the people here too much."

The girls gave him a nod, and put away their weapons. The five of them made their way to the bar; Ash sat next to Junior, while the girls sat ten seats away. The girls ordered their drinks, Yang ordering her favorite Strawberry Sunrise, the rest of them settled for water, not trusting the bartender enough.

Ash and Junior simply sat there for a moment. Ash stole a glance at Team RWBY, smiling to see that they were still somewhat on guard. He returned his attention back to the owner.

"Who are the ones leading the White Fang?" Ash asked, staring at the wall of different kinds of liquor in front of him.

"And what makes you think I know that?" the owner countered, scoffing at the butler, who glared at him. "The White Fang are an elusive group, the only ones that know that are members of the Fang."

"You know something," Ash accused, turning his head to the owner and glaring at him. "Even if the Fang is an elusive group, you still hold snippets of information."

"The only thing I know is that Roman Torchwick is affiliated with the Fang," Junior admitted. He raised his hand to hail the bartender. "Algonquin Cocktail. What do you want?"

"Bourbon on the rocks," Ash ordered. The bartender immediately started working on the drinks, trying to tone out whatever Junior and Ash were talking about.

"You're too young," Junior reminded him, completely monotone.

"You care?" Ash countered, scoffing at the club owner. Junior motioned for the bartender to continue, allowing Ash to order the drink. "Aren't you supposed to know everything illegal in remnant?"

"There's always a limit," Junior told the teen. Their ordered drinks were, respectively, placed in front of them on small dispensable paper coasters. Junior started took a drink of his, while Ash just picked up the glass, watching the ice knock on the glass. "As we agreed on, the Fang is an elusive group."

"This was a waste of time," Ash said out loud, before downing the drink in his hand. He slammed the glass on the counter, attracting the attention of a few henchmen and his friends. "This was a damned waste of time!"

Ash stood up quickly and started to walk out. Team RWBY followed him, leaving their drinks on the counter. Outside, Ash opened the driver side door of the limo, but only leaned against it instead of going inside. The four girls went up to him, but weren't able to say anything.

"Get in," Ash told them in a quiet voice. "Please, the four of you get in. I'll explain in a bit."

The girls did as they were asked and entered the back of the limousine as Ash got behind the wheel. Without saying another word, Ash started the engine and drove away from the club. No one said anything until they exited the dark neighborhood.

"So what do we do now?" Ruby asked, staring worriedly at the butler.

"We follow the lead Junior gave us," Ash replied, his lips turning up in to a grin. His reply confused the girls.

He pulled something out of his pocket and reached back through the open window. Yang reached out and took it from him, unfolding it to find the wrinkly paper coaster Ash's drink was on.

"'Under the sun,'" Yang read out loud, confused even more. "How is this a lead? It hardly means anything."

"There's only one place in the world that those three words actually have a significant meaning," Ash told them. The four girls looked at each other as if they were supposed to know with just the one hint.

"The book store you bought Snow White," Weiss deduced. Ash nodded, increasing his speed.

"Tukson's Book Trade," he told them. He could almost laugh as the realization that the White Fang info broker was someone he knew all this time.

"Why didn't he just come out and say it?" Ruby asked, wondering if keeping things this secret is part of the deal, just like how it's done in movies.

"We were being monitored Miss Rose," Ash replied, scowling at the fact. "Otherwise we wouldn't have been kept waiting. Junior hates not getting paid for information, that's why the sooner I run out of favors to call in, the better he'll feel."

Ash could almost laugh that they manage to get away with the coaster, but there was one fact that stopped him from laughing.

"There's only one problem with our clue," he announced to his passengers. He reached into his pocket once more and pulled out another crumpled paper coaster. Traces of similar markings were on it as the one that the Yang currently has. Once more, he reached back through the small window.

Yang reached out and took it, unfolding it immediately after.

"'White Fang,'" Yang read out loud. "Yeah, so what?"

"Junior and I came up with this little trick for whenever a situation like this occurs," Ash explained, glancing at the girls and the paper coasters through the rearview mirror, before returning his gaze back to the road. "The first coaster tells us the clue, and the second tells us what to expect."

"So we're not going?" Ruby asked, a guess to the butler's intention.

"Too unpredictable, I'm afraid we have no other option but to continue tomorrow," Ash replied, frustrated that the only lead they have is hours away on a Bullhead, and hours more on the return trip.

"Not yet," Blake suddenly spoke out. Ash continued to drive but listened intensely to the cat Faunus along with the rest of Team RWBY. "There's a White Fang recruitment and meeting that happens every week, if we could find out where that is, then we may still have something."

"I could probably use my name to access some Schnee Dust Company records at the CCT," Weiss offered, her left hand on her chin, thinking about other ways to gather information. "There's probably something there we can use."

"There might be things that Junior just happened to leave out," Yang thought aloud. "I doubt whoever was watching you guys are there later, so he might feel a little more loose lipped."

"All right!" Ruby yelled excitedly. "We have a plan B. Let's go Team RWBY!"

"I'm sorry to cut in Miss Rose," Ash said from the front seat. "But sending Miss Belladonna to the White Fang meeting alone is hardly a good idea. I trust in her skill, but there are things that really shouldn't be tested."

"Ash you damn hypocrite," Weiss muttered quietly as to not let the boy hear, her teammates nodded and hummed in agreement. "Then who else can go with her? It's not like Ruby can disguise herself as a Faunus and attend."

Ash couldn't respond, not immediately. The thought of exposing himself as a Faunus to the team and going with her would be the best course of action, but a fear rose within him. He glanced at the rear view mirror and saw Weiss shaking her head at him, as if she already knew what he was thinking.

"What about Sun?" Yang offered. "He's a Faunus, and we can pretty much trust in his ability to fight."

"If I really have to go with someone," Blake complained.

"Then I'll take us back to Beacon," Ash said, increasing his speed even more as to not waste any more time. "Miss Xiao Long, I hope you can ride that bike of yours."

"Oh Ash," Yang said teasingly, shaking her head at the boy, before staring at him with an ecstatic glint in her eyes. "We should race one day, my Bumblebee against your limo. Winner gets anything they want from the loser."

Yang's teammates shook their head at the girl, forgetting every time that her teases have very little effect on the boy. Ash, on the other hand laughed, wondered what he could possibly make Yang Xiao Long do after he wins.

"And when I say 'anything,'" Yang said, adding a little flirtatious charm in her voice. "I mean _anything_."

"Xiao Long what did I tell you about flirting with my butler?" Weiss warned, understanding what the brawler meant with a reddening face.

"Oh come on Ice Queen," Yang replied, with Ash silently chuckling in the background. "Ash and I have renewed our friendship, and that means that anything that was said before have absolutely no meaning now. A new leaf, a blank slate, a newborn baby."

"Oh?" Ash called out, a sly grin forming on him. "Does that mean we're no longer getting married Miss Xiao Long?"

"Sorry Ash," Yang said, shrugging her shoulders as if to say 'There's nothing I can do.' Weiss' glared at her butler for keeping this game up even though she so desperately wants to end it. "But those are the words of the past. If you want this, then you're gonna have to propose after you take me out on a few dates."

"It's fine Miss Xiao Long," Ash replied, remembering a certain part of that conversation. "I still have Miss Belladonna as a fiancé."

Blake blinked twice, uncertain of what to say after being forcefully brought in to a conversation that she had no part of until now. Ruby and Yang held in their laughter as Blake's cheeks flushed at the memory. Weiss was trying to contain what she was feeling the hardest. A feeling of despise towards Ash rose within her as he kept the pointless back and forth teasing between him and the brawler, dragging everyone else along with them. But also a feeling of loneliness as a part of her started to picture Ash leaving her side despite his promise.

"Oh! If past words no longer exists between us Miss Xiao Long," Ash continued, a new realization snuck up on him. "Then does that mean that I no longer have to make you Strawberry Sunrises?"

"Nope! The wedding's back on!" was the brawler's only answer before the five of them, even Weiss, freely laughed.


	10. Now I Know The Difference

Team RWBY and Ash drove around Vale in a hurried manner, as the cat Faunus in the back was late to mention that the White Fang meeting and recruiting started at night fall. With only a couple hours of daylight left, at best, they still had many things to do; and one of them is to find the monkey Faunus who said he was waiting by the café that he and Blake went to.

The five teens were getting frustrated as they circled the café city block for the umpteenth time.

"Alright this is getting ridiculous," Weiss complained, her eyes darting from one corner of the street to other, looking for the Faunus. "When you say you're at a certain location, you had better be at that location!"

"Just drop me off here," Blake said for, probably, the twelfth time. "I'll look for the damned idiot before we go to the meeting. You guys still need to find the location of the meeting anyway."

"Really contemplating it against my better judgment," Ash told her, looking left and right, for the same Faunus. One would think that s monkey Faunus with sand colored spiky hair, and an outfit that unashamedly shows his front would be easy to find, but apparently, that was not the case.

"There's the idiot!" Blake exclaimed, pointing ahead to the monkey Faunus looking at the sky, holding a cup of coffee with his tail. Ash immediately pulled over to the side and used the horn to attract the monkey's attention. Blake rolled down a window and motioned the boy over. He quickly made his way to limo, but slowed down to admire the group in the vehicle.

"What's up guys?" he said nonchalantly. No one answered him, instead, Blake got out of the limo.

"Come with me," she demanded sternly in a quiet tone of voice. "We're joining the White Fang."

"Wait what?" the monkey asked, more confused than he had ever been before.

"Miss Belladonna will explain in a minute Mister Wukong," Ash replied, rolling down his own window, looking back at the two Faunus.

"Who's the dude?" Sun asked, somehow more confused by the un-introduced butler than the Blake's previous statement.

"Introductions can wait later still Mister Wukong," Ash replied. "We currently don't have the time."

"Contact us if you guys find out the location," Blake said, ignoring her fellow Faunus' confused stare, asking for a detailed explanation. "We'll keep looking around and see if we can find it ourselves."

"Blake," Yang called out worriedly. Blake smiled at her partner, a little amused by how her eyebrows scrunch together lightly whenever she was worried. "Be careful ok?"

With a nod, Blake ran off with Sun Wukong on her tail. Ash rolled up the windows when the Faunus were no longer in sight, and drove away towards Beacon going slightly faster to preserve time. Fortunately, it only took them nearly twenty minutes to have the academy in sight, but Ruby refused to let Yang go back to Junior's club alone.

"I'll be fine sis," Yang tried to convince her little sister once more. "I've been there so much already. Besides, I've already pretty much proven that no one in that club can take me down."

"But what if that other person is still there?" Ruby reasoned, obviously not convinced that Yang could take on something unknown like that. "I'll go with you."

"No," Yang adamantly said, suddenly turning stern. "If that 'other person' is still there, then there's no way I'm putting you at risk too."

"We can take them together," Ruby further reasoned. "There's nothing in the world that can take the two of us down."

"Ash did," Weiss interrupted, earning a glare from both sisters. "What? He did."

Ash spotted a spot of blue simply walking to Beacon and quickly pulled over, coming to a screeching halt at the shock of his remaining passengers and the blue haired boy, stopping him in his tracks.

"Mister Neptune Vasilias correct?" Ash called, rolling down his window so that he could talk to him.

"Umm yeah?" Neptune said cautious of the butler and how he knew his name. That is until Ruby rolled down the adjacent window to greet him.

"Hey Neptune!" she exclaimed, forgetting her argument with her sister and earning the boy's attention. Neptune pointed to Ash, while giving her a questioning look. "That's Ash, Weiss' personal butler and now driver of Team RWBY."

"Mister Vasilias," Ash called for the teen's attention once more. Neptune turned to him, now without a guarded expression. "How would you like to help Team RWBY with their mission? Mister Wukong has already agreed to help and is out with Miss Belladonna right now."

"You guys got Sun to help?" he asked. Ash nodded with a smile. "Alright sure. Why not?"

"Then please get in," Ash said hurriedly. Neptune got in the back with Ruby, Weiss, and Yang, greeting the heiress and brawler. "Mister Vasilias can go with Miss Xiao Long. That way Miss Rose can rest easy that her sister isn't going alone, and Miss Xiao Long can be assured that Miss Rose is safe. Is that arrangement alright?"

He got a nod from both sisters and a smile from his mistress at how easily he resolved the problem. In a few more minutes, Yang and Neptune were dropped off just before the main pathway to Beacon; the two immediately running to wherever Yang kept her precious Bumblebee.

Ash didn't wait for them to disappear from sight, and sped off to the Cross Continental Transmit System tower, as Ruby and Weiss went over the plan.

"Ash will access the security feed of the traffic cameras to try and find wherever this White Fang meeting is," Weiss summarized, receiving a set of nods from her leader. "While he does that, I can look at Schnee Dust Company records for any missing cargo that is probably connected to the White Fang."

"Right," Ruby verbally confirmed. "While you guys do that, I gather any other information that we can use. Keep your scrolls available; you never know what kind of trouble Blake and Yang can get themselves, and Sun and Neptune, in to."

"We're coming up to the tower now," Ash called from the front. Ash parked as soon as he could, and the three ran to the tower. However, Ruby stopped when she saw a familiar face among the crowd. "Miss Rose?"

"You guys go ahead," she called, already running towards wherever she last saw that familiar face.

Ash and Weiss ran to the tower and asked the receptionist for their desired access. Weiss was a bit hesitant to access any kind of information if she had to use the Schnee name to do so, but the circumstance would have to be enough to make this an exception.

"The data and security feed has been transferred to Terminals three and four," the receptionist told them. "Would you like to speak with your father Miss Schnee? Or your sister?"

"No, it's fine," Weiss replied, albeit delayed and unsure. "I'll contact them at a later date."

"If that's what you wish ma'am."

Weiss and Ash walked over to the said terminals slowly; Weiss, deep in thought about her family, and Ash, worried about his mistress. When Weiss sat down at Terminal three, the vast data of the Schnee Dust Company appeared on the screen. She reached out to filter the data shown, but Ash gently grabbed her hand, stopping her from doing so.

"Miss Schnee are you alright?" he asked her, turning her chair to face him, despite knowing that this would eat time that they simply didn't have. He kept his hand on the chair, preventing Weiss from turning the chair away.

"I'm fine Ash," she replied, trying to turn her chair back towards the screen, not wanting to pursue this conversation any further. However, Ash simply wouldn't let her turn away. With a sigh, she answered him truthfully. "I just don't know what to say right now. We're not exactly on such good terms anymore."

"A simple greeting would suffice as a start," Ash told her, smiling at her problem. "Everything else will fall in to place afterwards."

"I wish it's as easy as you make it seem," Weiss sighed at her incompetence in the matter. She knew the boy is right, but she it wasn't like she hadn't tried before. "I just can't say anything I want to."

"Maybe not _say_ Miss Schnee," Ash said with a smirk, producing a small flash drive from his pocket. He released the chair from his grip and reached around the monitor and plugged the drive in. Weiss turned the chair towards the screen to see what the boy has planned.

An extra icon appeared on the screen, which Ash immediately opened. Only one folder was shown afterwards. The butler pressed it, and a video started playing, one that Weiss remembered almost immediately. It was her recital, for the song that she herself created.

She looked at Ash, who only stared at the screen intently, smiling when the Weiss in the video started to sing.

"You know," Ash said quietly as to not interrupt the song as much. "I wasn't supposed to be there. I snuck in because I wanted to be there for when you finally told your father, your sister, and the world what you truly felt after years of simply 'fulfilling your duties as a Schnee.'"

"You knew?" Weiss asked, listening to the sorrows of her younger self.

"Of course I knew," Ash replied, shocked that she doubted him. "It's hard not to when I was forced to ignore your cries behind a closed door almost every single night."

Weiss only stared at him, wondering what else the boy knew that she thought she had hidden well.

"Yes Miss Schnee," Ash continued noticing the look on Weiss. "I heard your soft crying behind those closed doors. It was only due to your orders, stating to never enter your room unless specifically called that prevented me from barging in. Now I know that there are some orders that are meant to be ignored."

Weiss and Ash listened till the song's end. Ash ejected the drive and put it back in his pocket.

"I'll talk to Winter tonight if we still have time," Weiss declared, making the butler smile. "I'll tell her about your _reassignment_ too. It's about time I do anyway."

Weiss turned to Ash to say something, but was inevitably unable to say it, deeming that it simply wasn't enough. Ash smiled at her before turning around to go to Terminal four, but Weiss grabbed his hand and pulled the boy back.

"Thank you Ash," she told the boy, placing a simple and innocent kiss on the boy's right cheek. "Simple words can never be enough to express my gratitude."

"Their value are much higher than you may think Miss Schnee," Ash replied, raising his hand along with hers. He kissed the digits of her fingers as a way to show her his appreciation for her words and action. "To me, they are irreplaceable."

"Time's running out," she said, looking at the darkening sky through a nearby window. "We should probably get to work."

"As you wish Miss Schnee," Ash replied, letting the heiress' hand go before going to Terminal four.

Weiss started to filter the data in front of her to the most recent missing Dust shipments, to find a few trains full of Dust crates and both air and land convoys go missing in the last few months alone. On board security tapes all show people with the White Fang symbol on their backs. She had no idea what the White Fang would need with so much Dust, but maybe Blake knew.

Weiss stole a glance at her butler, flipping from camera to camera, trying to find any sign of a White Fang recruitment meeting, keeping eight different camera feeds on the screen at all times. Not wanting to be outdone by her butler, Weiss turned back to her terminal and broadened her search to any disturbances caused by the White Fang, believing that there might be a clue there somewhere.

Ash, to say the least, was not having a fun time. Yes, he found research the most uneventful thing in the world, but it was never stressful. That is, with the exception of this one. Time was running out, and he honestly can't find any sign of this supposed recruiting anywhere.

He's seen some petty robberies and mugging, which he archived to turn in to the proper authorities later, but not a single inkling of White Fang activities. By just sitting in that one terminal in the Cross Continental tower, he's been in every single corner of Vale.

He reached in to his pocket and brought out his scroll, putting the thing down on the table, just in case he does find something or if something occurs in any of the teams and Ruby out somewhere in city.

After twenty minutes of examining every single camera feed, Ash started to get frustrated. Their time's nearly up, and they have yet to have anything to show for a half a day's worth of research.

He switched the eight camera feeds once again, and something caught his eye immediately: two to three dozen Faunus of different age groups that seemed to converge somewhere close to the docks. He switched the feeds once more to the ones by the docks, trying to find what might be there that they could want. A Faunus no older than he was stood facing a fenced portion of the abandoned warehouses' perimeter. Wondering what the Faunus was doing, he got rid of the seven other camera feeds and focused in just the one.

Not a minute has gone by when the Faunus looked around once and moved the fence as if it was some sort of hidden door before disappearing behind it and putting it back to its normal position. He continued to watch the same feed for nearly ten more minutes, watching a dozen Faunus copy the first Faunus' actions, disappearing behind the fence. That was way more than enough reason for Ash to suspect something.

He picked up his scroll and called the Faunus of Team RWBY. Within a few rings, she picked up.

"Ash, did you find it?" she asked over the scroll.

"Quite possibly Miss Belladonna," he replied, still unsure if sending her and Sun there is a good idea. "Try checking the abandoned warehouses by the docks close to Junior's Club."

"Alright, we'll check there," Blake assured the butler, though a funny feeling arose within the boy. "I sure hope you're right Ash. We won't have enough time to check somewhere else."

"I hope I'm wrong Miss Belladonna," he muttered to himself, not wanting the cat to hear him. He shook his head free from negative thoughts and cleared his throat. "Good luck you two."

The call ended there, and Ash sent the archived feeds to the police station, hoping that they'd do something about it. He finished his search, shutting off the terminal, and putting his scroll back in his pocket before heading over to Weiss.

"Miss Belladonna and Mister Wukong are headed to a Faunus meeting Miss Schnee," he reported. The heiress hummed, confirming that she heard him even though her eyes never left the screen. "Though I don't know if it's the meeting that we're looking for."

"People don't just get together for nothing Ash," Weiss reassured the boy. "Never mind that for now. Tell me Ash, what else do you know about the Atlesian Paladins?"

"Not much else Miss Schnee," Ash admitted, confused at Weiss' question. "The Schnee Dust Company teamed up with the Atlas military to build them, and as of right now, the Paladins are still in the prototype stage. It's equipped with several cameras to ensure a 360-degree view and a highly sensitive laser motion sensor. It has high grade Atlas plasma cannons on each arm and homing missiles."

Ash tried to think of anything that he might've forgotten, but came up with nothing but a single useless fact.

"It's supposed to be sold at a much later date. Other than those, I know nothing else."

"So then," Weiss started, maneuvering through icons on the terminal, looking for something specific. She stopped and enlarged a photo of members of the White Fang, opening a crate with the large prototype inside. "Why is it being transported to every corner of the world?"

"It seems that they never made it to their location," Ash muttered out loud, with Weiss agreeing with him. "It could be that they were being transported to hold a demonstration in every single major city. How many have _gone missing_?"

"Nearly two dozen," Weiss answered, scowling at the image on the screen. "It almost seems like Atlas has supplied the White Fang with the means to complete their goal."

"We have to warn Miss Belladonna," Ash concluded. "If the White Fang recruitment _is_ taking place at the dock warehouses, then it is quite possible that one or more of the missing Paladins are there, along with someone who can pilot them."

Ash pulled out his scroll again and called Blake once more. Unfortunately, this time, she didn't pick up. Weiss and Ash stared at each other, giving each other a nod, before shutting off the terminal and running out of the tower.

They ran to the limo, while Weiss called her partner, trying to warn her about the emergency. It only took several rings for the fifteen year old to pick up.

"Ruby, we have an emergency," Weiss told her, her and Ash slowing trying to keep the same speed as they briefed the leader. "Blake and Sun are in trouble, and we have no way to contact them right now."

"How are you so sure?" Ruby asked through the scroll, her breathing harder than before indicating that she had started to run.

"We'll explain as soon as we can meet up Miss Rose," Ash told her as he and Weiss reached the limo. "Where are you?"

"I'm in the city," Ruby answered as Ash opened the door of the limo for Weiss. The heiress practically jumped in, Ash closing the door after her before getting in the driver seat of the vehicle. "Where are they?"

"The abandoned warehouses at the docks close to that horrid man's club," Weiss answered. Her rather biased answer caused Ash to laugh a bit, despite the severity of their situation.

"I'm close," Ruby told them. "You guys just get here as fast as you can."

Ash didn't need her to tell him. The limo came screeching out of the tower premise and sped towards the city. The sun set soon after, and a feeling of regret started to come over him. He had ignored his bad feeling earlier, and now Blake and Sun may be paying the price for it.

"Miss Schnee," Ash called, not wanting to take his eyes off the road because of the speed they were going. "Any word from any of the others?"

"None," Weiss answered, already putting her scroll down after trying to contact either Blake or Yang. "I can somewhat understand Blake not picking up; I mean she can actually be fine and in the meeting right now, and just isn't picking up as to not blow her cover. Yang on the other hand, well, I don't know with her."

Weiss tried to call Yang once again, but a call from the cat Faunus interrupted her. She quickly picked up only to be met with one evident cry.

"HELP!" Sun cried from the other side of the scroll. Ash nearly lost focus and crashed when that cry echoed throughout the limo and beyond. "BIG ROBOT! TORCHWICK GUY INSIDE! TRYING TO KILL US! HELP!"

"Location!" Ash yelled back, not meaning to sound so demanding, but the monkey Faunus didn't seem to mind.

"HIGHWAY! JUST LOOK UP!" Sun yelled back. At his words, Ash slowed to a stop and looked at the nearest highway. Sure enough there was a Paladin knocking cars out of the way, chasing two small figures.

"We're just behind you guys," Yang said, Ash realizing that the call connected probably all of Team RWBY. "We'll try to slow it down."

"I'm under the overpass," Ruby groaned in annoyance. "I can't do anything from down here."

"We'll find a way to bring it down there Miss Rose," Ash assured her, though not entirely sure how.

"Oh by the way, I know this isn't really the time," Sun said, relaxed unlike earlier. "But, nice to meet you Ash. Blake here told me a lot about you."

"Oh, well… nice to meet you too Mister Wukong," Ash replied in a similar calm demeanor, with the rest of the seven man squad completely deadpanned at how nonchalant the two were. "I sure hope she's only told you good things."

"Pretty much," Sun continued their conversation as he dodged yet another car that flew towards him and Blake. "The only _bad_ thing she told me is that you can paralyze me for a long time."

"You really shouldn't be worried," Ash replied, looking for a way to get up to where they were. "I only paralyzed Team RWBY, with the exception of Miss Belladonna, for very good reasons."

"Yeah, I guess they can get a bit too adventurous huh?" Sun joked. "Dude, we should absolutely hang out some time. I know this one place that sells the _best_ noodles in all of Remnant."

"Oh shit can I go?" Neptune joined in, realizing the location that Sun spoke of.

"Neptune? They dragged you here too?" Sun asked his partner from the scroll call. "Scarlet and Sage here too?"

"FOCUS!" Blake exclaimed after dodging another shot of plasma from the murderous machine still chasing her and Sun. The three boys muttered a quick apology.

"We'll be there in a few minutes Miss Belladonna," Ash reassured her, going back in to a serious expression. "Do your best to slow it down. No more innocents should be hurt."

"What can we do Ash?" Weiss asked her butler. He smiled at her nervously, silently telling her that he had no plan. "Ok, I have something. Just get me ahead of that thing."

"As you wish Miss Schnee," Ash sped towards the highway, doing all he can to get in front of the rouge Paladin. Ash drove through the city ignoring all traffic laws at the complaints of the citizens of the city. How the authorities have yet to get involved is truly a mystery.

Seeing an exit from the highway, Ash turned, going the opposite way of how the lane was meant for. He dodged on coming traffic and they did the same, the citizens completely oblivious to the Paladin behind them. The limo reached the top and Ash came skidding to a stop.

"What's your plan Miss Schnee?" Ash asked, looking back at the heiress who was already out of the vehicle.

"I'm bringing that thing down to the underpass," Weiss declared to the entire team. "Ruby, get ready."

The Paladin came in to view only a few seconds later, moving as if it was skating on the pavement, chasing the two Faunus. From what Weiss and Ash could see, Sun split in to three different people and attacked the Paladin in tandem with Neptune. Unfortunately, the two were thrown off the Paladin.

Weiss didn't have the time to ask whether or not they were alright, as the Paladin got closer at an alarming rate. Weiss stabbed Myrtenaster in the ground and a coating of ice appeared on the pavement stretching across the entire lane. She jumped safely out of the way and the giant Atlas technology came crashing outside of the barriers and down in to the underpass below.

Ash didn't waste time, picking up the heiress before jumping down. To lessen their fall, Weiss placed a glyph under the butler's feet. Ash smiled at her, thanking her for her concern. Ash landed with ease thanks to the glyph and put the heiress down. Soon, the rest of Team RWBY joined them.

"Alright, let's take that thing down," Ruby declared.

Ash went in first, drawing his blade from his back. The Paladin switched its right arm from cannon to fist and threw a punch towards the butler. Ash was forced to stop his advanced and swing his blade to counter the blow. The blow from the armor proved to be too much, and was only able to redirect it slightly to his side.

Ash ducked under the extended arm, slicing the leg, merely scraping off some of the armor. The Paladin lifted its leg and brought it down to try and flatten the butler, but Ash managed to get out of the way.

With the Paladin distracted, Team RWBY commenced their attacks.

Weiss created dozen glyphs in the air around her and unleashed a barrage of Dust shots just as she has done with the Nevermore during the initiation. The barrage all hit the Paladin's back, but it didn't seem to phase the armor.

The armor turned to the heiress to retaliate but was met with Yang clocking it in the front of the cockpit with a strong right. A shell shot off from the gauntlet when it made contact with the armor, but like Weiss' attack, it didn't seem to work.

Ruby and Blake attacked together. When Yang got free from the Paladin, the two rushed in front of it and jumped, slashing the cockpit as they crossed in the air. The Paladin staggered a small bit, but quickly corrected itself before anyone else can attack.

The five teens gathered together when it staggered.

"We're not doing anything to it," Ruby said frustrated.

The Paladin quickly spotted them due to its 360-degree view, and turned its right arm back in to a cannon, unleashing a barrage aimed at the five. The teens scattered, moving in different direction, confusing the armor as to who to shoot at.

"It can only take so much Miss Rose!" Ash yelled, his voice echoing throughout the night sky. Luckily, the entire team heard him.

The Paladin turned to him and fired off several plasma shots, tracking him accurately. Yang got behind it, to try and deal more damage to it, but the Paladin turned to her quickly, firing more plasma at her. Yang managed to get out of the way, the shots instead demolishing the ground.

With the armor seemingly distracted, Weiss created six more glyphs in the air and shot more Dust at the armor. Without even turning to her, the Paladin jumped out of the way unlike before.

"360-degree view Miss Schnee!" Ash reminded her.

"Someone has done their homework," Roman Torchwick's voice came out of the Paladin's speakers. "You have to go first."

The Paladin turned to Ash and chased him, firing off shot after shot from its cannons. Yang and Blake tried to distract the Paladin, but it just released missiles from its back to discourage the attack. Yang and Blake managed to shoot the missiles out of the air, but the Paladin was still chasing Ash.

"We have to get rid of that sight!" Ruby called out. "FreezerBurn!"

Weiss loaded Myrtenaster with fresh dust and stabbed the ground, once again freezing a large portion of the ground. Jumping out of the way, Yang leapt from where she was and slammed her right fist on the center of the frozen ground. Steam filled their battlefield.

"Thanks!" the team heard Ash yell from somewhere. "Don't let your guard down! It can still track us with laser motion sensor."

True to his word, the Paladin produced several lasers coming out of its body spanning nearly 180-degrees.

"Ash! What about that EMP Dust crystal?" Weiss asked, remembering the day he came to Beacon.

Ash's form appeared from behind the Paladin and jumped on its back. He held on for his life as the Paladin tried to shake him off. Ash brought his blade down on the cockpit several times, flashing his semblance each time before his blade made contact with the armor. Each time, the blade went further and further in the armor. He jumped off the armor, rolling away and disappearing in the mist.

"I'm afraid it won't work Miss Schnee!" Ash finally answered. "It has a light gold coating. It completely negates any form of EMP!"

"You're not just some brat are you?" Torchwick asked from the armor. "How the hell do you know all of that?"

"Checkmate!" Ruby yelled.

Weiss and Blake rushed towards the Paladin, slicing at its legs, causing it to move back. The two jumped up, aiming for the laser sights of the Paladin. Weiss stabbed the laser sight under the cockpit while Blake moved for the two on top, using her semblance to get from one to other and using it again to get away.

Ash moved in and grabbed the heiress, carrying her like a princess, before jumping off the cockpit, flashing his semblance again just before his jump, giving him extra momentum.

The Paladin released another barrage of homing missiles at the butler. Weiss placed an unusually gold glyph on the ground just behind Ash with what seemed like the gears of a clock in the middle. Blake jumped in the middle of it, starting to glow gold like the glyph. She brought out the blade inside the sheath and sliced at the air, creating shockwaves every strike she completed. The missiles were cut and exploded in the air, as Blake's body stopped glowing.

"Ladybug!" Ruby yelled as she passed Blake.

The two ran towards the Paladin, and sliced at its legs, alternating several times before jumping up and cut the left arm on their way down. The left arm shattered at their attack, the two running back in to the mist.

With the left arm gone, Yang moved in and jumped on the Paladin's back just as Ash had done. She punched and shot the area that Ash's sword struck several times.

Torchwick started to get frustrated at his inability to even hold his ground against the teens. The monitors around him blared red, warning of the extensive damage the Paladin had taken.

The Paladin jumped back in to a pillar and flattening Yang against it. The girl started to fall from the height when the Paladin took a step forward. It turned, switching its remaining arm from cannon to fist, and struck the blonde, forcing her through the concrete pillar.

"Big mistake Mister Torchwick!" Ash yelled from the mist.

Yang stood up shakily, her hair starting to glow its fiery gold and her eyes turning blood red. The Paladin tried to take out the girl once and for all, throwing a punch at her. Yang stopped the fist with her left hand and spotted the initial damage that Ash had left for her to capitalize on. She cocked her right hand back and threw a devastating blow at the crack on its metal fist.

The remaining arm shattered in to pieces at the blow.

"Bumblebee!" Ruby yelled.

Yang turned to see Gambol Shroud already headed for her. With her left hand, she grabbed it and Blake swung her towards the Paladin, only for it to jump away.

"Ice Flower!" Ruby yelled once again.

The cloaked leader planted her precious scythe's blade on the ground as Weiss placed a glyph in front of the barrel. Ruby shot the legs of the Paladin five times, ice spreading from wherever it got hit, rendering the Paladin immobile.

Blake swung Yang around once more, but the Paladin was unfortunately still out of reach.

"Ash!" Ruby yelled, noticing the problem with the ribbon's length.

Ash jumped in front of the arc of the ribbon. Yang let her partner's weapon go, reaching out for Ash. The butler grabbed her arm with his right arm and activated his semblance, a deep colored red smoke engulfed Ash until his right arm was completely covered in it, as if the smoke was another bracer. Ash threw the girl towards the Paladin.

A boom resounded throughout the city as Yang breached the speed of sound. The girl threw a right straight at the Paladin, the metal bending against the fist and gauntlet. The Paladin shattered in to a million pieces as Roman was thrown out of the cockpit, the force of Yang's punch sending him crashing through a pillar just as he'd done to Yang earlier.

Blood came out of Roman's mouth as he coughed. Ash ran towards him, but slowed to a stop as a small girl with half chocolate and half strawberry with a few stripes of white hair, came out of nowhere and stood in front of the mastermind.

The girl bowed to the butler, flashing him a smile. Bound to his own rules, the butler bowed to her as well. Yang started to run, annoyed by Ash's action.

"Neo," Roman coughed out, standing behind the girl. The girl stood up straight, smiling at Ash.

Ash noticed Yang running towards him, and stretched out his hand for her to take. Yang took it as soon as she can, and once again, the butler threw her towards Roman. The girl and Roman shattered as if glass before the brawler could even make contact. With her targets gone, Yang pushed Ember Celica in front of her, and countered her momentum with several shots from her gauntlets. A Bullhead appeared above them and flew off with the girl named Neo and Roman inside it.

"You know Ash," Weiss started as Team RWBY walked up to him. "Sometimes your chivalry is absolutely annoying."

"I apologize Miss Schnee," Ash said turning to the team. He smiled at them before turning his attention to the pieces of scrap metal that were once an Atlesian Paladin prototype. A smile formed on him. "Nothing but useless heavy armor."

"I think that's as good as a Team RWBY initiation as it's ever gonna get," Ruby said proudly, smirking at Ash. They all shared a laugh, the girls experiencing the feeling of euphoria they got when they took down the giant Nevermore again, but this time with their new team member.

"If it's like this all the time, I think I may consider resigning," Ash joked. "Miss Schnee, if you don't mind providing glyphs up to the highway, I can come get the four of you with the limo."

Without saying a word, Weiss created a sigil underneath Ash and lifted the boy all the way up. It only took him several minutes to get to them in the underpass, and they all got in, enjoying the much-needed rest.

"Go back up on the highway Ash," Yang requested, stretching in the back seat. "I still need to pick up Bumblebee."

"Understood Miss Xiao Long," Ash said, turning to go back up the highway, the team still had yet to see a single police car, but they were too caught up in their latest victory over Roman Torchwick to notice.

Yang soon got out of the limo and made her way to her precious bike and they all started to make their way back to Beacon side by side. That is until Ash slammed on the breaks. The three girls in the back held on to their seats until the limo lost all of its momentum. Yang simply stopped, looking at the limo.

"Ash what is the matter with you?" Weiss demanded, glaring at the boy, as he looked around confused.

"Does anyone know where Mister Wukong and Mister Vasilias are?" he asked them. The realization of their friends going missing before the actual fight even began dawned on the team as a guilty feeling took hold of them.

Blake and Weiss took out their scrolls and called their plus ones. Blake called Sun, and Weiss called Neptune. The girls didn't say anything for a minute, and only spoke when they put their scrolls away.

"Drive," Blake told the butler with a rather bitter expression on her.

"Leave them," Weiss added, confusing the butler and Ruby. Ash followed the instruction and just drove back to Beacon, wondering what happened to the two members of Team SSSN. Yang, who had no idea what was happening, innocently drove along side the limo.

* * *

Hiding Bumblebee was an easy task, as Yang already had a place to hide the tinier vehicle. The limo on the other hand, was a bit of a problem. Sure, Ash could just park the limo anywhere, but eventually they'll need to explain where it came from, and retell their experiences on that night. Normally wouldn't be a problem, but sooner, rather than later, General Ironwood would hold an investigation of how a stolen Paladin found its way to the underpass, and why it lay in over a thousand little pieces.

"We could just abandon the limo," Ash offered, looking back at the three girls in the back. They glared at him, already fond of the limo as if it was always part of the team. "Guess not. I could try to convince Headmaster Ozpin to just let us leave it in front of the school."

"Even if you manage to convince him, it's still in the view of every student," Blake reasoned, simply stretching her limbs outward as to not feel to stiff after they inevitably exit the vehicle.

"Let them," Ruby groaned, already too tired to worry about this after destroying one of Atlas' finest pieces of technology. "It's not like they can do anything about it."

"Miss Rose holds a very good point," Ash concluded, stopping the vehicle at the side of the main road to Beacon. "Let's just leave it here. I'll convince the headmaster, and hope that Miss Goodwitch doesn't kill me. I still need to discuss my new sleeping arrangements with them anyway."

"Yeah sorry about that," Ruby apologized sheepishly. "We thought you were dying. Not our fault you locked the door."

The four of them got out of the vehicle and soon met up with Yang just in front of the doors to the academy. She looked behind them, at the vehicle that wasn't supposed to be there.

"I'll take care of it," Ash said, exhaustion already evident in his voice. "The four of you have yourselves a wonderful rest."

Ash turned to leave the girls to head to their dorm room, while he turned to go to Ozpin's office, only to stop when his mistress called out to him.

"Ash wait," Weiss jogged to him, leaving him and her teammates confused. "I'm coming with you. Someone has to help you explain."

"Curfew's ten," Yang called back teasingly, as she, Ruby, and Blake all made heir way towards their dorm room.

"I'll bring a light dinner afterwards," Ash called out to them, figuring they must be famished after exerting so much energy when they were forced to skip a meal. He only got a thumb up from the blonde as a response before he and Weiss turned to go to Ozpin's office.

The two walked in pure silence for a few minutes, unable to say anything to the other, until Ash decided to break that silence.

"Are you alright Miss Schnee?" he asked her with no real direction in mind.

"I'm alright Ash," she answered simply, smiling in relief that it was he to start a conversation. "Made it out unscathed thanks to you."

"It was because of your team Miss Schnee," he corrected her, turning to face the girl. "You've surrounded yourself with amazing people. It seems like I was worried for nothing."

"You were worried?" she asked, turning to him wearing a questioning expression. "About what?"

"Well…" Ash started looking away from her awkwardly, wondering if he could phrase his explanation a different way, but in vain. "No offense Miss Schnee, but you didn't really leave the family house a social butterfly."

"Ash!" Weiss exclaimed stopping her movement, completely offended.

"I apologize Miss Schnee," the butler said with a smile, nearly laughing, stopping as well. He turned to her, amused at her reaction. "However, I did say that I was worried for nothing."

"Don't you dare try to sweet talk your way out of this one," Weiss warned, slightly drawing Myrtenaster from her hip as a sign showing that she was serious. "I can handle myself in any situation, be it fighting or simply socializing."

"Miss Rose told me of your first interaction with her Miss Schnee," Ash offered, placing his first ammunition of the argument on the table. Weiss' resolve fluctuated for a second, before returning to normal, glaring at the butler.

"It was because she fell on my luggage," Weiss defended thinking back on that time. "She fell on cases filled with Dust crystals. She could've literally blown us off the cliff."

"And your interaction with Miss Nikos right before the initiation?" Ash placed another piece of evidence on the table for his mistress to defend against.

"What are you on about?" she asked, remembering nothing worth of note about her conversation with Pyrrha back then. "She and I were merely discussing the initiation, and how the whole partnering system worked."

"And are you sure you didn't have any… mistakably malicious intent?" he countered, smiling as the expression on Weiss changed from confident to guilty. "I know you all too well Miss Schnee. Let's move on from that. Explain to me your reaction when you first met Mister Arc in the Emerald Forest."

"Alright!" Weiss complained, announcing the butler as the winner of the argument. "I understand your point."

"That was the Weiss Schnee then," Ash said, holding out his right hand for her to grab. As if in a trance, she reached out with her left hand and gently took the hand in hers as he did the same to hers. "The Weiss Schnee in front of me now is a stranger to me. That's why I want to know more about her."

"But if I am a stranger to you," Weiss said slowly, pulling herself closer to the butler. "Then you are a stranger to me as well."

"Oh I doubt you'd allow a stranger to get this close to you Miss Schnee," Ash said, as he pulled her even closer, till the distance between them is practically nothing.

"And I doubt you'd ever do this to a stranger Ash," Weiss countered, a smile playing at her lips. Ash laughed softly, his chest reverberating against hers.

"Well then I guess I was wrong," Ash admitted, the feeling of being unable to control himself going in to a blissful state of being like every time his infatuation for the girl starting to take over. "It seems that you will forever be my precious Weiss Schnee."

"Ash let me ask you a question," Weiss told the butler. Ash simply stared at her, awaiting her question. "Was there ever a time when you loved me romantically?"

Ash's bliss shattered like glass at the question. He knew he had to lie, but perhaps adding a little truth to it would make it easier for him.

"There may have been a time Miss Schnee," he said longingly, keeping a small smile as he spoke. Now that the truth has been spoken, only the lie is left, but it simply wouldn't come out. Instead some unknown force took control of him. "I definitely felt a deep sense of infatuation towards you when we were younger teens. To say that you are my first love, would really only be the truth."

Weiss couldn't say anything. Sure, she had asked the question, but not ever had she expected such an answer. She and Ash stood there in silence under the moonlight. Weiss remained stunned by the answer, cheeks on fire, as the butler came to realize what he had just said.

"But that was before Miss Schnee," Ash quickly defended once the realization dawned on him. He could feel his cheeks burn, but because the only source of light was the moon, this remained practically invisible. "I've learned to let go."

"You mean to say you've given up," Weiss said slightly concerned, albeit a bit spiteful.

"Yes Miss Schnee," Ash confirmed, feeling guilty for agreeing with her on that. "The gap between us can never be filled. You are of noble birth, and I am merely your servant."

"You and I are equals Ash," Weiss told the butler, annoyed that she has to remind him again. "The only difference between us is our names and genders."

"The world will never see us as equals Miss Schnee," he reminded her, with a heavy heart. "I was a young and stupid teen back then, I've yet to know the difference."

"What about now Ash?" Weiss demanded, glaring at him, daring him to lie to her.

"Now I know of the gap Miss Schnee," he told her, knowing that wasn't what she had meant. "Now I know the difference."

"That's not what I mean you idiot," Weiss snapped, making the butler release her from his grip and look away. However, Weiss had yet to release him, she will continue to hold him there until he tells her the truth. "How do you feel now?"

"I love you the way you want me to Miss Schnee," he repeated his white lie for the third time that day still unable to look her in the eye. "I love you the way I should, as a servant and as a friend."

Weiss let the butler go, saying nothing back, before turning and making her way to Ozpin's office. Ash simply stood still for a few more seconds watching her walk away, remembering the dissatisfied look on her face before she walked away.

"Lying to you will never be easy," he muttered to himself before chasing after her.

Weiss and Ash continued their walk, in awkward silence. When they got to Ozpin's office, they quickly explained to the headmaster why there is a limousine outside his school and that they were only exploring the city with Sun and Neptune.

Surprisingly, Ozpin let the two go after hearing their 'believable' story, but in return for destroying school property, and for leaving the limo where it could easily be seen to distract students, Ash had to sleep in the Team RWBY dorm room until he got the door fixed.

They had no choice but to agree, but were left wondering how the rest of the team would react to the sleeping arrangement. Sure they all had already slept in a single room, but that was for a very specific purpose, and most importantly, only for one night.

Weiss headed back to the dorm room to tell the team about the headmaster's decision, while Ash headed for the kitchen to fix the team a much needed dinner.

When Weiss entered the dorm room, Blake and Yang were the only ones in the room, while Ruby was in the shower. Blake was already in her sleepwear and brushing her hair, meaning she had already taken a shower before Weiss got there.

"Hey Ice Queen," Yang greeted from her bunk when she saw the heiress. "So what's happening with Ash?"

"He's sleeping here," Weiss answered immediately, going to the drawer she kept her sleepwear in and laying it down on her bed.

Yang asked more questions, some of them about why she agreed to it, and where Ash was going to sleep, but Weiss ignored all of it.

 _I love you the way you want me to Miss Schnee, I love you the way I should, as a servant and as a friend._

Ash's words echoed in her head like a mantra. She sat on her bed, with the repetition of the sentence slowly driving her insane. She tried to yell 'Stop' in her thoughts as if that would actually stop it, but she couldn't – or if she did, she couldn't hear her own thoughts. The repetition only stopped when she heard her voice saying, _I want more_.

At first she ignored the voice, only thanking it for stopping repetition. Soon, Ruby exited the bathroom, with a satisfied smile. Yang entered next, but not before telling Ruby about where Ash was sleeping. Ruby didn't think anything of it, thankfully… the innocent soul.

Ten minutes of silence went by in the room, strange for the group of girls. Ruby was looking out the window and at the stars above, Weiss was trying her best not to let her thoughts drive her insane, and Blake was reading her book. Yang exited the bathroom, in her sleepwear and Weiss didn't hesitate to go in.

Her time in the shower was normal; the thoughts that plagued her somehow didn't come with her. Her mind was free from the thoughts that were driving her insane, but it the middle of it all she found herself speaking.

"I want more," she whispered, the falling water making it so that only she could hear those three words. She squeezed her chest, as her heart seemed to be twisting around in painful ways.

She soon got out of in her sleepwear, to find that Ash had delivered on his promise. In the middle of the room was a cart with various healthy dinners, from pomegranate chicken to tuna casserole for his promise to Blake.

"Come and eat with us Weiss," Yang called out, before eating another bite of her dinner. Without saying a word, Weiss went over to them and sat down on the fourth and last free chair. Ash placed a plate in front of her, smiling at the heiress before moving back; simply standing there while the team ate.

Weiss looked at the plate, finding chicken, broccoli, and beetroot salad all lightly layered with avocado pesto. She started to eat; merely listening to her team – mainly Ruby and Yang – discuss their latest victory. She found the food delicious, but the feeling she felt in the shower stopped her from enjoying it like she usually would.

"Is it not to your liking Miss Schnee?" Ash asked concerned, noticing her plight. Yang and Ruby halted their discussion, looking at the heiress worriedly.

"It's delicious Ash," Weiss said dejectedly, eating another bite. "I'm just a bit distracted right now."

"I see," Ash said, figuring she'd tell him or one of her teammates when she was ready. "If there's anything I can do, Miss Schnee, please don't hesitate to ask."

"I won't," Weiss lied, the urge to ask the boy to help her with her problem slamming itself against the walls of her willpower. "I may just need to sleep it off."

The team finished their dinner and Ash took back the cart to the kitchen, grabbing something small to eat while there. He made his way to the garden pavilion, sitting at the table he and Weiss were. He gathered his thoughts, and simply enjoyed his time alone.

Meanwhile in the Team RWBY dorm room, Weiss sat on her bed, wondering exactly what it meant when she heard her own voice say 'I want more.'

"Weiss did something happen?" Ruby asked her partner concerned, from her bed above the heiress'.

"Nothing," Weiss told her, annoyed that she can't organize her thoughts. "I'm just distracted like I said. I'm just thinking about the information Ash and I found at the tower."

"Then why didn't you ask Ash to help?" Ruby asked, further annoying the heiress, as she had no answer. "I'm sure you guys can sort all that together. We'll help you guys if you want."

"No, I can do this myself," Weiss insisted, her pride kept her from asking for help thus far, and it'll keep her from asking. "Besides, I'm sure you all have your own information to sort through."

"If you say so," Ruby passively said, still concerned for her partner. She didn't know what Weiss was trying to prove but she won't let it consume her. "Let's at least sleep on it. It's not like it's going anywhere."

"Trust me Ruby," Weiss said, narrowing her eyes at the fifteen year old. "The faster we find out what the White Fang are up to, and whoever it is that has Ash unnerved, the better."

"We'll know more tomorrow Weiss," Yang said from her bunk. Weiss and Ruby turned to the blonde. "I mean, remember, we still have that bookstore to go to tomorrow."

"Yeah see?" Ruby said excitedly, finding an excuse for Weiss to take a break. "We're gonna have more after we go there. We can even ask Team SSSN to help out."

"No!" Weiss and Blake protested simultaneously, remembering where Sun and Neptune were during the fight against Roman.

"Or not," Ruby added, confused as to why her teammates were so against it.

"Weiss is right," Blake said, putting her book down on a open spot on her bed. "The faster the White Fang is apprehended, the better it will be for everyone. And if Torchwick is to be believed, then something will be happening soon."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, the grim expression on Blake slightly unnerving the leader.

"We got caught before he could go in to it in detail," Blake replied, thinking back on the night before the rather fun life or death battle. "But he said something about a plan being underway to _surprise_ Vale."

"I didn't like the robot surprise," Yang admitted. "Something tells me I'm going to like this surprise even less."

"That's why we should sleep on it," Ruby insisted, lying down on her bed, and pulling the covers on. "Night."

"What about Ash?" Blake asked, shaking her head at the leader.

"I'll wait for him," Weiss offered, letting out a sigh. "You two get some sleep."

"If you're sure," Yang said shrugging. She and Blake got under their covers and shut off the lamp on their side. Weiss let out another sigh, staring at the door, hoping that it would open soon.

* * *

Ash came out of Glynda's room, leaving the peacefully sleeping professor to whatever dream she was currently having. He pulled out his scroll to check the time, wanting to kick himself as he read that it was well past midnight.

Ash made his way to his dorm room and sighed at the broken door, reminding him of his current sleeping arrangement. He entered the room anyway and took a quick shower and brushing his teeth, before putting on a pair of black sweats and a black shirt with a white snowflake, the Schnee family symbol, covering almost the entire back if the shirt.

He soon entered the Team RWBY dorm room and found the single lamp by Weiss' bed still on. Weiss was lying down, flat on her back, on the bed asleep, with her eyebrows furrowed. He made his way to the lamp and turned it off, before kneeling by Weiss's waist, wondering how he can relieve her of whatever it was that was worrying her.

He reached out and lightly touched the scar on her left eye with his right thumb, tracing the crooked blemish on her fair skin. He frowned, remembering how he wasn't able to help her with her fight against a giant suit of armor. He finished tracing her scar, ending at her cheek.

 _This'll be the closest I'll ever get to you huh?_ Ash thought, a small and sad smile forming on him. _It hardly matters. I'll be satisfied with this. So please… just this once… forgive me._

He leaned over, closed his eyes, and kissed her scar. When he pulled back, her eyebrows were no longer furrowed; she had a relaxed expression on her face. He moved his right hand down, and traced the edge of her top lip very lightly, not wanting to wake the heiress.

Ash stood up and bowed to her even though she was asleep. He exited the dorm room, careful as to not make a single sound. He shut the door slowly behind him and made his way to the library, wanting to find out all that he could about the White Fang to help Weiss as much as he could later on in the day.

Inside the Team RWBY dorm room, Blake's Faunus ears twitched under her bow as Ash's footsteps disappeared in to the distance. She checked her scroll, the screen showing Ash leaning over, kissing the white haired girl's eye, only illuminated by the moonlight being cast down in to the room. A smile formed on her, as this time she was successful to remember, not only to silence her scroll, but also to turn the brightness down, as to not attract attention.

Satisfied with what she had, Blake hid her scroll and went back to sleep.

Weiss soon opened her eyes, touching her scar before going down to her top lip. A tear left her left eye, remembering Ash's touch.

 _Ash you liar,_ the heiress thought, her hand going back up to the part of her scar that still burned from Ash's lips. _Yang was right after all. Ash, you really do…_

Tears slowly leaked from Weiss' eyes, the girl wiping them all away just as fast as they appeared. She continued to weep like that in silence.

 _Why do I feel so unsatisfied?_ Weiss asked the voice in her head, hoping that it would respond to her thoughts just as it had done before, but nothing came. She continued to swipe at the liquid leaking from her eyes, trying to make as little sound as possible, as to not wake anyone.

 _After him,_ the two words were said with her own voice. Unable to do anything else, she did as she was instructed.

She slowly got up, and made her way to the door. Out in the hallway, waiting for her was one Lie Ren. He simply leaned against the opposite wall, looking at the ground, looking up only when she opened the door.

"He's in the library," he told her, pushing himself from the wall before turning to go back to the Team JNPR dorm room. Weiss couldn't even question him, they were in her mind, but it refused to turn in to words. "You should probably wash up first. He'll only get worried."

Without another word being said, Ren returned to the dorm room, shutting the door behind him.

Weiss touched her cheeks, sticky with tears. Weiss entered the Team RWBY dorm room once again, and entered the bathroom. She splashed her face with water, making sure that no traces of her crying was evident, but nevertheless, she couldn't do anything about her reddening eyes.

She exited the dorm room again, and in a matter of a few minutes, she found the library. She opened the door, slowly, careful to not make a sound. Inside, a single monitor was on. In front of it, in the dark was a young man with raven black hair, and rather dark clothing, the only other noticeable feature on him was the white snowflake on his back.

"The things I do for you Miss Schnee," she heard him say with a laugh, his voice echoing in the quiet room.

He let out a yawn; his head drooping down a bit, and his eyes closing for a few seconds. His head shot back up and his eyes wide open in surprise. He shook his head trying to keep himself awake, before reading on about the White Fang and the actions they've taken.

Weiss watched him from a distance for a second, fighting the voice in her head demanding her to go up to him. She had plenty to say, from his lies to her confusing dissatisfaction, but she doubted a single one of them would ever find a way to be known.

Weiss forced her legs to carry her out of the room and a few dozen feet away from it as quietly as possible, leaving the boy alone once more, and the ever-growing guilty feeling inside her build up. The voice in her head screamed at her, demanding her to return, demanding her to say something.

 _A simple greeting would suffice as a start,_ Ash's voice echoed twice in her head. _Everything else will fall in to place afterwards._

"But so will I," Weiss verbally responded to the echo, her small voice ringing throughout the dark and empty hallway.

"I'll fall too Ash," she continued, several more tear drops leaking from her eyes, forgetting that she left the door to the library open, her voice falling clearly upon the ears of the only soul in the place full of books.


	11. Answer Me With This

Team RWBY found themselves in a dilemma the next morning: Ash is sick. Glynda called the four of them to the infirmary where Ash lay unconscious in one of the beds, clutching his chest, struggling to breathe. A noticeable red smoke swallowing his form before shattering as if glass.

"We found him collapsed in the library," Glynda reported, watching the boy's chest heave up and down along with the four girls. "Good new is he's not necessarily in mortal danger. Bad news is that his Aura is constantly being drained by his semblance."

"How long will he be out of commission?" Weiss asked, with a stoic expression. In truth, the heiress is more worried than anyone, but didn't show it.

"A few days at the earliest," the professor replied, letting out a sigh as she remembered asking Ash for a massage last night. She felt guilty, yes, but he was this way for a few – or a lot of – other factors. "A week at the absolute latest."

"Oh man, how is he going to make me a Strawberry Sunrise now?" Yang asked in a faked serious tone. Her three teammates, and blonde professor all glared at her, making the poor girl nervous and shrink back. "Sorry, just a joke."

Team RWBY recounted all that went on yesterday.

To their knowledge, Ash had woken up well before them to not only discard his used bandages, but also prepare them all breakfast, Ruby's cookies, and Yang's Strawberry Sunrise. Even after all that, the only thing he ate that morning was a single slice of French toast.

Not too long after that, he and Yang had played a small game of Keep Away, using at least a quarter of his Aura to not only mitigate Yang's doorframe attack, but paralyze the blonde as well.

Soon Ash would lock himself in his room and enter a state of meditation to 'face his past,' as he called it. Three horrifying screams of pain, as well as residual mental pain when Nora had hit him in the back, indicates a large amount of mental damage and stress was dealt to Ash.

After that, Ash had gone after Weiss when she had stormed off. Knowing the boy, he had run the entire academy in search for his run away mistress. As he prioritized the girl over his own health, he would've used every single last bit of his energy to find and comfort the girl.

Soon after that, he and Weiss chased Ruby and Yang throughout the entire academy. How the boy hadn't already collapsed in exhaustion only further proved him to be a Hunter through and through. It was no easy task to apprehend both Ruby and Yang, by using at least half of his Aura to paralyze both of them. Even if Ash had somehow managed to regain some of the Aura he had used on Yang earlier that day, it doesn't change the fact that he had to use more.

Only a few minutes after that event, Ash used even more of his Aura to release both sisters from the penalization, to which Yang depleted the butler's remaining Aura by sending the boy crashing on a tree, with a single straight to the nose.

While three members of Team RWBY, Ash found the time to deliver on his promise to Team JNPR and fixed their door.

Ten minutes after that, Yang had gotten in to an argument with Ash and once again, threw a punch at the boy, depleting any Aura that recovered, if any at all. At this point, the day hadn't even been half over. It may seem that Ash was extremely unlucky that day, but the girls had to praise the boy's resilience.

And then after that, he had to challenge Yang to a duel, without Aura no less. Sure it may have been a first-strike duel, but he still took a good amount of damage. To top that event off, Ash coughed out blood.

Hours later, he and Team RWBY would be caught in a fight with a prototype of the best piece of Atlas technology to date. Sure, he took no direct damage, unlike Yang, but it was without a doubt draining – especially if one has yet to eat properly throughout the day.

Now, to finish the night, Ash decided to do research all night, without – what the girls could guess – a proper dinner.

They all came to one conclusion: the butler is an idiot.

"The stress just never seems to end with this boy," Glynda admitted, pinching to bridge of her nose, absolutely frustrated. "That damned deal may be gone, but he abandons all safety anyway, including his own bodily needs."

"I have a few days to decide a punishment for this dumb butler of mine," Weiss openly admitted. "I swear to you Valentine, your punishment will be severe."

"Weiss are you all right?" Ruby asked, staring at the heiress worriedly. "Your eyes are a little puffy."

"I'm fine," Weiss quickly dismissed, rubbing her eyes in a vain attempt of removing it.

"Have you been crying?" Ruby continued to pursue the problem at the heiress annoyance and fear.

"Don't be ridiculous Ruby," Weiss countered once more, crossing her arms defensively. "I just couldn't sleep well last night, that's all."

"Maybe you should just take a nap here with Ash," Yang said worriedly instead of the usual tease she usually utters. "You can get your beauty sleep and you and Ash can take care of each other… if he does wake up today."

"Professor Peach estimated him to wake up early morning tomorrow," Glynda told them, increasing the feeling of worry within the four. "Even if his temperature increases."

All in a second, Ash let out a blood-curdling yell of fear and pain, shooting up from the bed till he was seated, supporting himself with his arms. This scream was fiercer than the three that the boy let out in his room. Glynda and Team RWBY jumped at the sudden yell.

Ash had a deep scowl on him, his irises almost completely out of sight. His teeth bore as if some wild animal. It didn't take long for his illness to take hold of him again. He fell back down to the bed, and tried to regain all the air that he had lost.

"Or he can prove her wrong… once again," Glynda continued, as a loud crash emanated from the far side of the academy. Glynda let out a sigh, knowing that she'd have to use her semblance to fix the damage that her fellow professor has done, as Team RWBY made their way to Ash.

She turned her head to look at the small camera in the top corner of the room, closest to the door.

"One day Peach, you'll get him," Glynda said reassuringly to the professor currently contemplating a revenge scheme on the butler.

"Ash can you hear me?" Weiss called out to the butler, watching his face contort in his own suffering. He could only nod once, as he tried to stabilize his breathing.

"Well if he's awake, then that means he'll be fine sooner right?" Ruby asked innocently, only for Glynda to put a hand on her shoulder.

"Unfortunately it isn't so," Glynda said, denying the cloaked leader the hope that she managed to grab. "His condition is still as is. He may be awake, but it doesn't make his condition any better. That's part of the reason why I brought you girls here."

"You want us to watch over Ash," Weiss concluded, her eyes never leaving the suffering butler. "You think he's going to force himself even though he's not completely recovered."

"Not to that degree Miss Schnee," the blonde professor admitted, playing with the scroll usually in her hands. "We, Professor Ozpin and I, expected him to force himself before he even begins recovery."

"In this state?" Yang asked, motioning her hand to Ash, still struggling to even breathe. "I don't think he's moving any time soon."

"And exactly why do you think it remains active?" Glynda asked cryptically, unable to be anything but a teacher to her students, especially one of her problem teams.

"You mean his semblance?" Blake asked, to which Glynda nodded. Blake thought about it for a second, coming to one realization. "He's keeping it active?"

"He has no energy to spare," Glynda explained, looking to Weiss knelt by Ash, seemingly ignoring all of them. "That damned semblance of his is pretty much the only thing that's allowing him to move."

The smoke around Ash completely disappeared as he ran out of Aura once more. Glynda couldn't help but give him credit for the attempt, however she couldn't help but feel even more frustration as well.

"Stop trying to move you damned idiot!" Weiss scolded the butler. "You can recover sooner if you stop using your Aura."

Ash's semblance flared once again, this time accompanied by a scream of pain.

"Miss Schnee," Ash called out, finding some air to speak. "White Fang activity… too high. Tukson's… most likely… dead. Don't go."

After that, the smoke disappeared once more, shattering from his body before floating up in to the air to dissipate. Ash's body relaxed as much as it could, granted, he still suffered restricted breathing. His eyes soon closed to a pained expression. The professor let out yet another sigh, but this time, of relief.

"He used up the last of his reserve energy," she told the team. They all looked to her for an explanation. One that she was more than happy to give, as they had technically forced Ash in to this state. "If the reserve energy in the body is forcefully emptied, then the body goes in to a sort of emergency shutdown. It recognizes that there is no backup to provide additional energy to the vital organs should it is needed. He won't be waking up again today."

"I'm still not entirely sure that's a good thing," Ruby admitted, much to the agreement of both Blake and Yang. She looked over to Weiss and was stunned to see her asleep by Ash's bed, with her head down on his right arm. "Guess she was sleepy after all huh?"

Without saying a word, Yang carried her to the bed next to Ash's, careful as to not awaken the heiress. When she was clear of the bed, Glynda used her semblance to nudge the two beds together, as a make shift double bed. The students gave their teacher an thumb up for approval before they all promptly took out their scrolls as the heiress' hand found its way to Ash's.

"This'll do for now," Glynda muttered to herself, a mischievous grin playing at her lips. "Well, I think we should allow them to sleep for a while. Miss Schnee is more than capable of caring for Mister Valentine in the time being."

"Oh I'm pretty sure she can take care of him," Yang said teasingly, before delivering the truth of the matter rather unenthusiastically. "Then after she does, the two of them are going to hunt the rest of us down for that picture."

"Yup," Ruby agreed, fearing her future – or lack of. "Say your goodbyes to your friends, family, pets… cookies."

As Ruby contemplated, everything she has to say her goodbyes to, she began to get teary eyed. She thought of her dad Taiyang, her pet corgi Zwei, her uncle Qrow, her favored milk and partnered batch of cookies.

Glynda knew that the girl was exaggerating, but she still felt bad for the poor girl. Even if the heiress were to be angry about the picture, it certainly wouldn't mean their deaths. And if they did, she was sure she could handle the two of them.

"Why not just delete your pictures then?" the professor asked curiously. The three girls looked at her as if children who were just given the threat of taking away their favorite toy. "What is the matter with you all?"

"See professor," Yang started her explanation, sitting down on a nearby chair with her legs crossed and her arms spread wide. "This is an opportunity for us, and those usually don't happen very often. So far, I count four other opportunities, and one _unwanted_ opportunity before this."

"Mister Valentine has been here for a little over a week," Glynda reminded them, only for the girls to shake her head at her, simply giggling. "Four times is rather frequent for the time period."

"You've yet to ask the number of surviving evidences of those opportunities," Yang told the professor, holding up her scroll – Ruby did the same.

"All right, I'll bite. How much?"

"None," Yang said, very quickly hiding her scroll with a frown on her face. "None of it survived! From that very first day he was here, he kissed Weiss on the hand. Now, I agree, that was nothing more than a formal greeting between the two, but it was still an opportunity."

"Every student in the cafeteria was taking pictures," Blake recounted, seemingly staring in to her memories. "Then Ash just threw an 'EMP Dust crystal' – as Weiss called it – in the middle of the room, forcing every single scroll to shut down before any picture was saved."

"After that, the next opportunity," Yang continued, satisfied with Blake's explanation of the first opportunity. "After the 'incident' with Cardin, you remember how Ash left, then Weiss soon followed?"

"Then you let me follow her and try to bring her back?" Ruby continued, preparing herself to explain the second opportunity. "Well I followed her to Ash's room. I couldn't just barge in there when they were talking, so I just stayed out of it. At the end though, they hugged each other real close, and Ash kissed her forehead, and Weiss looked like she was enjoying all of it. So I decided to take a picture."

"More on its disappearance later," Yang brought the professor's attention back to her. "The third opportunity is actually a recording. We managed to record Weiss saying 'Ash is mine and mine alone,' yesterday. Long story short, Ash and I played a little game of Keep Away and Ash paralyzed me to win the game. Weiss grabbed my scroll and deleted the recording after."

"The fourth opportunity happened in the garden pavilion," Ruby explained. A smile grew on Glynda. She was reminded of the sisters' interruption then and was happy that they were there for her to exact her revenge, however decided to let it go.

"Oh I know about that one," the professor admitted, to the shock of her students. "I managed to grab myself a small picture of the two's moment."

Glynda played with her scroll trying to find the picture on the mess of files, but it was nowhere to be found. Glynda started to get flustered.

"What? Where is it?" she asked out loud, going through her files once more. "This scroll is always with me. The only time it was it could've been in his hands was… when we picked him up in the library."

They all looked to Ash, who was smiling even though unconscious. They knew that Ash was only smiling at something in whatever he was dreaming about, but they couldn't help but see it as him mocking them.

"I'm sorry girls," Glynda said defeated. "It seems I fell victim to his slight of hand."

"Damn, another one dead," Yang cursed, frustrated at Ash's seemingly never ending bag of tricks. "Ruby, continue."

"I feel defeated Yang," Ruby admitted, dejectedly. Yang came over and held her sister, giving Ruby enough emotional strength to continue. "Ash paralyzed me and Yang after they caught us. Then Weiss deleted everything from our scrolls. We didn't even take the picture that they said we took."

Blake looked uncomfortable in her position but she didn't let anyone take notice of that, especially Ash – should the boy be even remotely conscious.

The four conscious girls exited the room, leaving the two on the bed to their sleep, completely missing the pained scream that emanated from Ash very soon after.

* * *

Ash found himself in darkness. He looked around to see where he was, but the only thing that seemed tangible and with shape was his body, still in the clothes he wore the night before.

Ash's consciousness swam through the murky darkness of his memories against his will. He tried and tried to break out, but a more powerful force kept dragging him through it. It dragged him past recent memories, past his earlier teens, and past the years he first spent with Weiss. It dragged him to the earliest memories of his life, something that he wanted to keep hidden even from himself.

"No!" he screamed at the entity, as he helplessly flailed his arms in a vain attempt of swimming away. "Stop! Not these ones! Not these!"

"Ash?" Weiss' voice echoed in the darkness. Ash turned to look at the direction her voice, and sure enough, there she was, free floating towards him wearing her usual combat outfit. "Where are we?"

"We're in my own subconscious," Ash explained, absolutely confused by her presence. "Somewhere you shouldn't be Miss Schnee. Forgive me for asking but how are you even here?"

"I don't know," she answered truthfully, just as confused as Ash. "I just fell asleep and next thing I knew, I was here."

The scenery changed around them, changing from complete darkness to a seemingly endless green field. Ash's and Weiss' forms floated just a little bit above everything else.

"Ash, where are we?" Weiss asked, looking to the boy, shocked to see a pained expression.

"We're well past the walls of Atlas," Ash replied, turning his head to the end of the road where a pair of people soon appeared. "A few months over thirteen years ago."

One is a pale skinned woman with long free flowing black hair. She was wearing a plain one-piece sleeveless white dress. On her back was a pair of crimson – almost demonic – wings.

The other is a boy only four years of age with slightly tanner skin and similar black hair that ended on just below his ears. He wore a simple white T-shirt and black jeans. On his back was a very small pair of black wings similar to his mother.

The woman was chasing the boy down the dirt road of the green field, laughing along with the boy. The boy's little wings were flapping, as if trying to fly away.

"This is one of the few memories I had before I found myself in Atlas," Ash told the other ghostly figure next to him. He had a look of guilt on his face that worried Weiss much more than normal. "That's my mother."

"You're mother's beautiful," Weiss commented, unable to say anything else. "You guys look like you're really close."

"We were," Ash replied a scowl forming on him as he tried to fight the emotion that steadily grew within him. "We really were. Unfortunately, I don't remember much of my time with her."

The scene changed a moment later, from a happy and bright one to a dark and cruel one. The green fields melted in to dimly lit walls of some subterranean room. In the middle was the woman earlier, strapped to a table, crying. Her wings lay on the ground in a bloody mess. There were people – humans – around her laughing. Off to the side was the little boy, on his knees, held to the ground by chains and hooks that went through the palms of his hands.

Ash let out a scream of pain as he himself fell to his knees and assumed the same position as the boy. Weiss knelt by him, wondering how she could help, but came up with nothing.

"No!" the smaller Ash screamed, trying his best to get up to help his mother. "Stop hurting her!"

The astral Ash mimicked the smaller one's movements, but both were dragged back to the ground. The captors only laughed at the attempt. One of the captors went up to the boy, producing a small shiv, before knocking the boy down and driving it through the boy's left hand.

The Ash's screamed in pain, both on the ground, while Weiss remained unable to do anything. Her instincts screamed at her to pull Myrtenaster from her hip and brutalize the captors, but she couldn't. Myrtenaster wasn't with her, and even if she could place a glyph on the ground, it wouldn't do anything as this has already happened.

All Weiss could do was to stay by her Ash and try to lessen his pain. She took his hand and tried to allow him to squeeze her hand for comfort, but as he mirrored the younger version of himself, he had no control of his movements.

"See? We humans aren't so bad," the captor above the younger Ash cackled. "We stopped hurting her, but you still have your wings there little fella."

"Take them! Just leave her alone!" Ash screamed at his captor. The make shift blade exited his palm as the captor stood up, laughing.

"Leave my son alone!" the woman on the bloody table screamed at the man. "You can do anything you want with me just leave my son out of this."

The woman cried more, prepared to suffer more pain and humiliation from her captors, but her son was too stubborn for someone his age.

"No!" both Ash's screamed angrily, sitting up despite the pain that surged throughout their being by the hooks and chains. The chains rattled against his pushes, forcing more blood out of the young Ash. "Don't you dare touch a single hair on her!"

"Aw how touching," one of the men said sarcastically, making the others laugh. "These monsters actually care about each other."

"All right tell you what," the one that stabbed Ash started, walking up to the boy. He grabbed him by the shirt and brought him to his feet. "That chain is long enough to get to your mother. Get there while I lightly pull you back. If you manage to get there, then we let the both of you go."

Without saying anything, the four-year-old Ash started to run towards the table, the hook and chain dragging him to the floor. Once he was within ten feet of the table, the captor gave the chains a forceful tug, knocking the boy down and dragging him a foot back.

More blood came out from the holes of his hand, but it didn't deter him. He stood up again, only for the captor to give the chain a tug once again, keeping the boy off his feet.

Both Ash's screamed in pain as both got their feet in a crouched position. They took one step forward, seemingly glaring at something in front of them. The chained gave a little rattle and they stop, steadying themselves for the pull.

The captor pulled on the chain but the young Ash resisted it. It opened his wounds even more, but he didn't care.

Ash kept going, only stopping when he knew the man would pull. Eventually, he made it to the middle. His mother wrapped her arms protectively around her son, and wept. The boy was nearly unconscious, the loss of blood apparent in his dead expression.

The woman put her hands around the boy's head and kissed his forehead.

"My son listen to me," she whispered to the boy, hoping that he was able to hear her despite his near death state. "You must survive this. There is someone out there waiting for you, waiting for you to make them happy."

"I know I did say that we'd let you go," the captor said, laughing as he dropped the chains and made his way towards them with the shiv in hand. "But he's not even awake to collect… so… I'll just go ahead and collect his wings."

"I love you, my little Ash," the woman said, with a smile directed to the boy, nearly unconscious. She started to glow white, as the younger Ash, and soon the astral Ash, started to glow red. " _For it is in passing that we achieve immortality."_

"Stop her!" one of the captors yelled. The rest followed the order and rushed towards the two dragons on the table. One of them swung their sword at the two.

"No!" Weiss yelled, extending her left hand towards the two. A glyph appeared underneath the captor. He stopped and stared at the unfamiliar circle, before he was promptly flung away, his body crashing in to a wall.

 _"Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory above all,"_ Ash's mother, continued the chant, gently removing the hooks from her son's hands, drooping them to the ground. Silently thanking the angel currently protecting them.

Three more of the captors moved in closer to the two, aware to the hidden enemy. They each drew their weapon, one with a dagger, and another with a mace, and the last with a sword.

Weiss targeted the mace wielder first as it reminded her of Cardin. She placed a similar glyph under him, and before he could jump out of the way, she flung him towards the dagger wielder. Unable to react in time, both tumbled away in to the darkness.

The sword wielder jumped back; keeping one eye on the ground below him, ready to jump out should a glyph appear there.

 _"Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release you soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee,"_ Ash's mother completed the chant, unlocking her son's Aura. The wounds on his arm started to slowly heal, the bleeding already stopped. She fell to the table exhausted, sending one final word of thanks to the angel looking out for them.

The younger Ash, still enveloped in red Aura, knelt down and grabbed hold of the chains that used to bind him. A deep red smoke enveloped his form, his right arm completely covered. His right arm turned crimson on color, with what looked like chaotic clouds swirling within it. A thick smoke, similar in color, floated up from it before disappearing into thin air as if actual thin smoke.

With a single tug of the chains, the younger Ash freed the other end from the ground. He swung the chains like whips, forcing it against the captors' bodies. They yelled in pain, their Aura unable to do much against the attacks. Ash dropped the chains and ran to grab them on the other end, kicking a captor on his way.

He grabbed the chain again and brought it around once more. The sharp hooks catching the clothing of one captor, dragging him around like he was nothing more but a ragdoll. With a scream of rage, Ash swung the chains up along with the man, and at the peak of its swing, forced the chains down. The man on the other end was left with no choice but to allow himself be thrown to the ground.

Being dragged through the ground and being left at the mercy of an enraged four year old, the man's Aura was soon depleted. When his body hit the ground, the hooks were forced in his chest, puncturing the lungs. Ash let go of the chains and let the man on the other end drown in his own blood.

A man rushed the boy now that he's unarmed, to try and subdue the boy, only to receive an unnatural punch that sent him flying to a wall. A clear indentation of a small fist was apparent on his cheek.

The three remaining captors tried to flee, but the younger Ash picked up the chains again and swung them, corpse and all, towards the three. The corpse flew towards the three, knocking them all down, and rendering them unconscious. Ash soon dropped the chain and ran over to his mother.

"Mother," he whispered to her, but she did respond. She didn't even rouse from her unconsciousness. "Mother, please wake up."

The scene soon faded to black with the cries of sorrow from the four year old boy.

Weiss looked over to her companion and found him lying down flat on his back, with his right forearm covering his eyes. She couldn't say anything but instead, she sat down by the boy's head like she did on the roof.

"You were the angel," Ash finally said, after minutes of silence in the darkness. "You saved me. Thank you."

"I couldn't save your mother," Weiss said truthfully, reaching out to caress the butler's hair.

"You didn't know," Ash said, his voice full of regret and despair. "You couldn't have known. If anyone had the chance to save my mother, it was me."

"Your Aura was unlocked so early," Weiss said, trying to change the subject. Thankfully, Ash complied with her wish.

"Yes it was," he replied solemnly. "And I found my semblance almost immediately. I'm sorry you had to witness how I found it and how I first used it."

"I think it's better that I did," Weiss said, remembering how she was able to use her glyphs despite being in a memory.

"Yes, I would've died," Ash agreed negatively. "I never would've thought that the angel that helped me back then would not only be you, but as an astral projection as well."

"These are the pasts that you didn't want me to know?" Weiss asked, her curiosity taking over. "These are what's causing you pain?"

"Of many Miss Schnee," Ash replied, his hands curling in to fists. "More specifically, these are the memories that I don't want to relive. The ones that I try to avoid the most."

The scene shifted once more from darkness. Weiss and Ash found themselves in a circular room, dominated by a similarly circular map in the middle. The younger Ash was on the ground below some man, bruises and cuts covered his entirety.

The man wore a permanent scowl on his face as he glared down the boy at his feet. His hair was black with little hints of white at his sides. His black eyes show nothing but anger towards the boy. A noticeable scar cut across face, going over his nose. He was dressed in black robe and full crimson battle armor underneath.

Weiss reached her hand out for her Ash to take it. He did so gently, his grip on it rather lax; making Weiss put enough strength in her grip for the two of them. She pulled the butler up, allowing him to take in the new scenery. It took him a second to spot his younger self.

"My father," he told her dejectedly. He embraced the heiress, making her blush – if astral projections even could. "Please Miss Schnee, if anything, I do not want you to witness what happens next."

"Please father don't make me do this," the younger Ash begged the man above him.

"Your mother died because of you!" the man bellowed delivering another kick to the boy's ribs, the heavy boot without a doubt breaking at least two. "Why did you come back alive when your mother did not!? Who was it that made her leave!?"

"Please father," the child begged once again, blood spewing from his open wounds. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

The astral Ash winced as he remembered what would occur next. Weiss turned her head at the boy, wondering what was happening behind her.

"It's all right Ash," she said trying to soothe the butler. His body relaxed a little when she ran her hand smoothly down his back. "I'm here with you."

Her touch and words reassured the butler, but it wasn't enough to off set the event. Behind Weiss, the father had grabbed hold of a sword hanging on the wall and tossed it to the boy, clattering against the cold stone floor.

"Pick it up," the man instructed, turning around to draw yet another sword from the wall. The young Ash reluctantly grabbed hold of the sword he was thrown and stood up.

"No father, please don't do this," the boy begged again, taking a wobbly stance with the sword in both hands.

"You should've thought of this when you left your mother to die," the man reasoned, walking up to the boy with a sword in one hand. "Now fight. Fight like how you said you did."

The boy swung the sword sloppily, his attack obvious and slow. The man merely swung his sword up and knocked away the attack. He then raised his foot and kicked the four-year-old Ash in the diaphragm, knocking all the air from his lungs.

"This is how you killed them?" the man mocked, giving the boy another cut across his left arm. "You mock your mother with a fight like this."

At his words, the boy stood up once more with the blade shaking in both hands. A red smoke started to envelope the boy once more, but only to a certain degree. He attacked his father once more, this time more focused. As the father tried to knock away the blade once again, the boy ducked under it and sliced his father's leg armor.

The father swiped back at his son in retaliation, only for him to knock the blade away and push it out of the father's hand. The blade hit the far wall, the boy's sword shallowly slicing his father's right eye before pointing the sword's tip at the father's neck.

"A semblance already," the father laughed, even through the blood that now blinded his eye. Ash's semblance took effect, ejecting blood from his mouth, forcing him to drop the blade and get on his knees. "Even then, you are still weak."

Ash's father pulled his boot back and kicked the four year old in the head, rendering the boy unconscious.

The scenery returned to black once more, and Ash let the heiress go, but held her hand.

"Your family seems nice," Weiss said full of spite.

" _You_ are my family Miss Schnee," Ash told the heiress, tightening his grip on her hand. "To me, this past of mine is just an obstacle I have simply yet to overcome."

"You know I used to think that I'd gotten the least amount of affection from my parents," Weiss admitted, her own grip tightening. "It seems I was wrong, but I probably already knew that before now."

"I don't mind the lack of affection Miss Schnee," Ash admitted to her, rubbing his thumb over whatever part of her hand it could. "Because in time, you filled in that void for me."

Weiss smiled as she pulled the boy closer with their intertwined hands. The scenery changed around them for one last time. It was Ash and his father once again, but this time on top of a tower open to the air with no walls guarding them from a rather long and fatal fall.

Screams of pain, agony, and fear filled the skies as a village connected to the tower lay on fire. Grimm howls and screeches filled the air when the screams could not.

"This is your fault!" the father accused, pointing a sword at the four year old, forcing him to go closer and closer towards the cliff's edge. "You led the Grimm here!"

"I didn't," the boy reasoned, taking another step closer towards the cliff. "It wasn't my fault."

"I won't hear anymore of your excuses!" the father yelled, swiping at the boy, forcing him to jump back. "You've doomed all of us, doomed our race. If I die today, then at least I'll see you die first. Happy birthday, _son_."

With that last birthday wish, Ash's father sliced at the boy once more, pushing him off the cliff, plummeting to his supposed death.

Weiss and Ash started to fall along with the child. Before Weiss could start to panic, Ash embraced the heiress again, whispering words of tranquility and safety to her, telling her that everything would be all right, that this is nothing more than a memory; nothing could hurt her here.

Water became the young Ash's salvation. Water roared at his hears as it suddenly enveloped his tiny frame. He managed to rise to the surface, and grab hold of a free-floating piece of driftwood that will continue to carry him down the stream. He soon lost his consciousness, dragging the two astral projections to darkness once again.

"Your own father tried to kill you," Weiss said without thinking. The statement caused Ash to flinch despite the embrace. "Dear Oum Ash. And I've done nothing but complain to you about my own father's disapproval of _some_ of my decisions. I'm so sorry."

"It's all right Miss Schnee," Ash whispered comfortingly, but Weiss wasn't going to accept it.

""It's not 'all right' Ash!" she yelled immediately, trying to pry herself from Ash, but the boy held her against his own body. "It's not all right at all. Your father tried to kill you after he blamed you for everything,"

"That man is no longer my father," Ash answered, even though he can't stop his own heart breaking from the fact. His eyes dammed with tears that soon started to leak against Weiss' cheek. She stopped struggling when the drops wet her cheek. "You are my family now, and that's all that matters. There's no one I'd rather be by now, and in the future."

Weiss wrapped her arms around Ash's body, wanting to comfort the butler just like he did to her in the past.

"Pass on your suffering to me," Weiss said, echoing what the butler had said to her multiple times in the past. "I'll take it all if it means you stay happy. Allow me to become the vessel for your sorrows. I'll assimilate it all for you to smile at me once again."

"If I do that, then it'll all be pointless," Ash told the heiress, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "We'll simply be in an endless loop, passing on both our sufferings on to one another just as quickly as we assimilate them."

"I'm all right with that," Weiss replied, burying her head in the crook of the boy's neck. "If it means that you won't suffer alone anymore, then I'll gladly agree to it."

"But I'm not alone Weiss," Ash said with a smile. The darkness around them started to melt in to color once more.

A seven year old Weiss and Ash were sitting down at the base of a red leafed maple tree. Weiss was humming a song, while Ash was behind her brushing her hair. It almost seemed like nothing in the world could disturb the two, but when the tiny Weiss caught sight of her father, she quickly stood up and ran to him. Ash soon followed suit.

"Father! Father!" She called out as she ran to him, but the older man didn't even seem to acknowledge her. She ran to him and soon made stopped within feet an arm's reach of him. She brought out a make shift tiara made of flowers that Ash had made her earlier and showed it to him. "Look! Look! Ash made it for me earlier. Isn't it pretty?"

"Not now Weiss," the man said, rubbing his temples. "Father's very busy with the company."

"But you said you would play with me today," Weiss said dispiritedly, lowering the tiara. "You promised."

"I know, but not now all right?" the man replied, frustration growing.

"But you promised," Weiss complained, driving the man past his limit.

"I said not now!" he yelled, winding his hand back to hit the girl.

Ash very quickly stepped in the middle of them and took the hit intended for the young heiress. His head was forced to the side by the blow, and reverted back to its original position soon after. The father left without a word of apology, or anything for that matter.

Weiss could only cry at her father's decision to ignore her. Ash embraced the girl with a clear mark on where he'd been hit, thanking Oum that he was fast enough to intercept it.

"It's all right Miss Schnee," the younger Ash said, letting the girl cry on his shoulder. "Running a company in this time is difficult. Give your father some time. I'm sure he's simply trying to free some time for your birthday next month."

"He tried to hit me," Weiss said, as she continued to cry on the boy's shoulder.

"No, he was just testing me," Ash lied, rubbing the girl's head to comfort her. "There's no way he would try to hit one of his daughters on purpose."

"Does it hurt?" she asked, bringing a hand up to his stinging cheek.

"What hurt Miss Schnee," Ash started, knowing what would help her feel better. "Is the slap you gave me a few months ago."

"I said I was sorry!" Weiss screamed at the boy, prying herself from him to sulk. "You said you'd never bring it up again."

"And you said that you'd never sulk again," Ash countered with a smile. Weiss pushed the boy away and turned for the tree, running there and only stopping when she got there. Ash caught up to her and hugged her from behind, lifted her up and spun her around.

Weiss and Ash laughed, even while Weiss complained for the butler to release her. The older Weiss and Ash laughed along with their younger selves side by side.

"See?" Ash said motioning to the two children playing under the maple tree. "I'm not alone. Ever since I met you, I have never been alone."

"Then share your suffering with me," Weiss persisted, making Ash laugh much to the heiress' annoyance.

"I don't have to," he admitted cryptically, smiling at the now confused girl. "You forced yourself inside my own subconscious and experienced my memories with me. You've already done enough for me."

"I didn't force my way here," Weiss corrected, crossing her arms. "I just found myself here. And I have no idea how to get back out."

"That's simple Miss Schnee," Ash said, taking one of Weiss' hands in his own. "You simply have to relax and empty your mind. You haven't taken any mental damage so you don't have to worry about being nauseous once you're back to your body."

Weiss concentrated for a minute, closing her eyes and tried to empty her mind just as he had said. She tried her best, but images of Ash's past continuously flashed in her mind, and the events of last night plagued her even more.

"I can't do it," she groaned in frustration, throwing her arms up in the air and letting them fall back down to her side.

"Nonsense," Ash said, nearly laughing at the heiress. "You're Weiss Schnee. You can do anything that you want to. You're just distracted, we only need to figure out what."

"You," Weiss answered immediately. "You're the one that's distracting me. And as long as you're here, I won't be able to focus."

If it were possible for ghostly projections to blush, then the two were as red as tomatoes. Nevertheless, Ash laughed like there was no tomorrow.

"Now why would I be the one distracting you Miss Schnee?" the butler said dubiously. "Is it my past? If so, I'm sorry to have put you through that. While yes, you're always in my thoughts, this would be a little bit ridiculous wouldn't you say?"

"You lied to me Ash," Weiss said, dismissing the boy's intended joke. "You lied to me yesterday and who knows when else."

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean Miss Schnee," Ash said, trying to dismiss her doubts and assumptions.

"I was awake the whole time Ash," she admitted her trickery the previous night. "I was aware of everything that you did."

"What would you have me do Miss Schnee?" Ash asked, biting his lip in frustration of his inability to recognize her act. "What can I do to convince you otherwise? That you are mistaken? That I was merely worried about you?"

"Kiss me," Weiss said simply, steadying herself.

"Miss Schnee?" Ash called out, fighting his inner demons. He fought his desire to follow her suggestion for his own purpose only.

"You heard me Ash," she said with proper authority. "Kiss me and call me by my name. That's all I ask you to do."

"'That's all,'" Ash echoed, slightly laughing at how she made it seem like it was a simple deed she had just told him to do. "I can't Miss Schnee. I just can't. Even if we're nothing more than astral—"

"That's an order Ash," the heiress interrupted, staring intently at the butler, boring in to him. "I'm just going to stand here with my eyes closed. I'll open my eyes after a minute. Ash, it's your decision. Answer me with this."

Just as she said, her eyes closed, and her head tilted slightly up. Ash was left with this dilemma of his, his being seemed as if it was being split in two: the butler, and Ash.

In the end, one would win, and Ash found himself taking a step forward. He reached out with his right hand and cupped the girl's left cheek. Weiss leaned in to his warmth, feeling her heart beat faster within her chest.

"Only you can test my will like this you foolish heiress," Ash said, letting what he felt free. "It took me forever to build a wall around my heart for cases like this, how dare you just appear to make it all crumble to dust."

"Ash," Weiss called out in a whisper, her breath clashing with Ash's. "Please, shut up."

"I can only hold out for so long," Ash admitted to her. "Weiss."

Weiss opened her eyes half way, granting her the sight of Ash with hunger in his eyes. She could only smile, as the boy got closer. Soon, he was the only thing on her mind.

Ash got closer and Weiss' eyes shut once more. Once they were within an inch of each other, Weiss disappeared, turning in to mist, leaving Ash alone in his subconscious.

* * *

Weiss' eyes opened to the familiar scenery of the infirmary. She lay on one of the beds that were pushed together with Ash's to make a sort of double bed. She held Ash's hand in hers, smiling and wondering how long she'd been like that, and why. But all that quickly disappeared when she remembered what had so nearly transpired within Ash's subconscious.

"That had better not been a dream," she muttered out loud, and by the way the boy gripped her hand even though he was unconscious, she knew it wasn't. She and Ash had once again nearly…

Her mind emptied when they had nearly done so, it ejected her out of Ash's subconscious just as he said it would. She couldn't have thought of a more damnable situation: her poison was also her salvation. And in this case, Ash had been both. He plagued her mind, and yet he was the one to force it empty.

Weiss pulled herself up to face Ash on a more level field. She could simply lean in now and take what was sure to belong to her if only she hadn't turned to mist. But both of them were mere astral projections, mere thoughts made in to image, would it be the same now that they were in their own actual bodies?

Weiss propped herself up with her right arm and reached out with her left. She cupped the boy's left cheek and smiled. Here he was, helpless in front of her, rendered unconscious by his own doing, and unable to wake up until the day. She could do whatever she wanted with him as he'd technically given her permission earlier.

No, she'd wait for him to awaken and do it on his own volition. That way it won't be as if she'd taken advantage of him in his sleep, not like he did to her the previous night, but it didn't mean she couldn't take something to keep her sated.

"Wake up soon Ash," she whispered to the boy's ear, making sure that even though he was stuck in his subconscious, he would still be able to hear her. She kissed his cheek lightly, tracing his lip with her finger. "There's still an order of mine you've yet to fulfill."

All in a second, Ash's expression contorted in fear and pain, and let out a scream that matched it. Weiss jumped to her knees, grabbed hold of his shoulders and tried her best to shake the boy awake.

"Ash! Ash! Wake up!" she yelled as she shook his shoulders stronger and stronger. The rest of Team RWBY as well as Glynda Goodwitch came bursting through the door, hearing the screams of butler and mistress.

"What's going on?" Glynda demanded, as she helplessly watched the boy expression contort between fear, pain and something in between. "What's happening to him?"

"He's stuck in one of his meditations," Weiss answered her, still trying to shake the boy awake. The rest of her team flinched back as they remembered what happened last time.

"Well that's not good," Yang concluded. "We barely woke him up last time."

"And now he can't wake up for a while," Glynda continued, pulling up her scroll to contact one of her fellow professors. Soon the image of Ozpin appeared on the screen. "Professor, we need you down in the infirmary please."

Ash let out another pain filled scream, this time his gloved hands started to bleed, dripping on to the sheets. Weiss noticed this and hurriedly took them off; witnessing his old scars open and bleed lightly.

"That didn't happen last time," Ruby reminded her team who shot her a look saying 'No duh.' Weiss continued to try and shake the boy awake, but it has yet to work. "Weiss, stop. You're not gonna wake him up."

"We have to do something," Weiss told her, but stopped shaking Ash's body nevertheless. "Ash, please wake up. At least let me back in."

"Back in what?" Blake asked, as if that was the current problem.

"His subconscious," Weiss answered anyway, now extremely worried about the boy. "I was in his subconscious earlier. I don't know how, but I was just there."

Ash let out another scream of pain, squirming in the bed against Weiss' grip.

"Ash!" Weiss screamed again, feeling useless at the present situation. Her despair was evident in her voice as she spoke. "Ash, please wake up. Wake up and fulfill the order I gave you."

Ozpin came running through the door and took his place next to Glynda.

"What's going on?" Ozpin asked his assistant. She merely shook her head, telling him that she had no idea. "Girls, what's going on with Ash?"

"He's stuck in his meditation," Ruby answered, her eyes never leaving the heiress that looked like her world had been swept under her own two feet. "And we have no way to get him out of it."

"Then we have no choice but to just let him," the headmaster concluded, putting his head down in shame of being unable to help. Everyone turned to him in shock that he was giving up.

"Professor, with all due respect—" Yang started but was very quickly interrupted by the professor.

"We simply can't do anything Yang," Ozpin felt nothing short of useless at the moment. He was supposed to protect these children, but in this case, he can't even lift a finger. "Unless you have a suggestion, we are left with no choice but to trust that he'll be fine."

"Then I'm staying here," Weiss announced, turning her attention back to the boy as he kept groaning in pain.

"I'm sorry but I can't allow that Miss Schnee," Glynda said strictly, earning the attention of the teens. "I can't allow you to stay here and neglect your training even for your butler."

"He's my friend," Weiss corrected, glaring at the blonde professor. "He's always been there for me, therefore I have to be here for him now."

"It's still against the rules," Glynda countered.

Weiss didn't reply, not in words. She drew Myrtenaster from her hip and pointed it down at her thigh. She forced the blade down, prepared for the pain that would come from her action. The professors and teens were too slow to react, and couldn't do anything.

Weiss didn't feel the stinging pain of a stab wound, but felt resistance. She looked down to see Ash's left hand gripping the blade's tip just before it made contact with her leg.

"Even you won't let me, huh Ash?" Weiss said, nearly crying. Ash's hand went lax and Weiss put the blade down beside her, taking Ash's left hand in between both of hers.

"Be… careful… Miss Schnee," Ash muttered slowly. Weiss looked up at him and found a peaceful expression instead of a pained one. This caused the girl to smile and let loose the tears she held back in relief. "The… needle's… sharp.

"I don't think that's a needle," Yang said jokingly, receiving a bump on the shoulder by her partner, smiling at the joke.

"See?" Ozpin said, motioning to the boy. "It seems that he's dreaming now."

"Even though I ordered you not to, you still worry me," Weiss whispered to the boy, wiping her cheeks with their intertwined hands. "I've decided what your punishment will be. You best not worry me anymore."

"I'll allow Weiss to stay with here with Ash," Ozpin declared, mainly to his assistant. "I've already bent the rules for Ash's enrollment here, so why not do it again?"

"Oh and Glynda?" Ozpin leaned in and whispered to her. She turned to him curiously, turning her head so that she can hear him clearly. "You'd best be ready to take a picture."

Confused by what he said, she turned to him with a just expression. Ozpin merely smiled and pointed to the beds. She turned to see Weiss embracing Ash with his head against her chest, as she cried tears of relief.

Glynda and the rest of Team RWBY all took out their scrolls to take a picture, only to spot the pale gold Dust crystal that was already dropping from Ash's hand. A small electrical shock ran through their bodies, as their scrolls were all forced to shut down.

"Valentine!" Glynda screamed, clutching her scroll in her hand. Ozpin could only laugh and give credit to the young man unconscious on the bed.

Weiss didn't care what they were doing, for she had finally truly felt that she knew the boy in her arms. When he awoke, she would have him fulfill her order before punishing the boy for disobeying her order once again. She had the perfect punishment in mind and was excited for it.

"Ash if you can hear me, then get better quick," Weiss whispered softly to the butler's ear. "I'll take what's mine, and you'll take what's yours."

Meanwhile, Glynda was very nearly tearing her hair out at another lost opportunity to blackmail the butler. She grabbed the headmaster by his collar and shook him, dragging him closer to her.

"How far ahead has he planned?!" she asked the headmaster even though he had no answer. "Even in his sleep he manages to foil every single one of my attempts. No one can plan for every single factor while they are asleep. He knew this would happen, he knew we would try to take a picture, he prepared that crystal to fall at this exact moment."

"Now Glynda, I think you might be a bit paranoid about this," Ozpin tried to calm his fellow professor. "I'm sure that it was just pure chance."

"NO!" Glynda and Yang screamed immediately, making the old professor shrink back in fear of the two blondes.

"There's absolutely no such thing as 'chance' when it comes to this boy," Glynda told the professor, to which Yang agreed. Yang stood by her fellow blonde and glared down the old man along with her.

"Every single…'mistake' that happens in our plans is something that he forced in the situation," Yang said with clear spite, despite promising to leave all hostilities behind after her duel with Ash. "He created every single failure in our plans, not just this one. Oh no professor. Every single opportunity that we get is a slip up on his part, that is why we have cherish every one of them."

"You make him sound like a villain," Ozpin said jokingly. Yang and Glynda laughed, but not because of the joke.

"Oh no professor," Yang said evilly. "Ash isn't the villain in this story."

"No," Glynda agreed, the same hostility in her voice. "We are the villains and Ash is the damned hero!"

"I-We guarantee you this professor," Yang started, her and Glynda being joined by Ruby and Blake. "The good guys will not win this time around."

"Then perhaps the bad guys should turn around," Ozpin said with a sigh. The four girls turned around to find Weiss with her lips on Ash's right eye, as she held the incapacitated boy like a fallen princess.

Glynda and the three members of Team RWBY immediately took out their scrolls and successfully took a picture. The four of them huddled in a circle and showed their scrolls to each other, and frowned. The pictures were pretty much similar.

Anyone can easily tell that Weiss was in the picture by the signature tiara and the off center ponytail of white hair, but nothing else. A thick red smoke covered the rest of the picture. No one could tell who else was in the picture, and most importantly, what Weiss was doing.

The four of them turned towards the two, to find the smoke already shattering and disappearing. Weiss still held Ash like a fallen princess, but no longer had her lips on his eye. The opportunity appeared and disappeared like the smoke that foiled it all.

"See?!" Glynda screamed at the gray haired professor, motioning to the lost opportunity. "The damned hero foils our plan again. Except, now I know these opportunities are just to anger us."

"And it's working!" Yang yelled, a flash of hot air was pushed against everyone in the room as Yang's hair ignited, her eyes turning red. "All right you win this round Ash! But you will slip up and I will be there to beat that smug look of yours!"

With the end of her declaration, Yang stormed out of the room with Ruby and Blake following soon after to make sure the girl doesn't do anything she'd regret. Glynda and Ozpin were left in the room with Weiss and Ash. Glynda was fuming, while Ozpin was laughing.

"I don't understand why you all are trying to acquire a picture of Ash in those situations," Weiss said looking towards Glynda, hoping for an explanation.

"I'm sure the others have their own reasons," Glynda explained, adjusting her glasses as if it would calm her demeanor as well. "But should I acquire such a picture of Ash, I can finally be free of him without him calling the damned favor I owe him."

"You owe Ash a favor, professor?" Weiss asked, stunned to learn the lady like professor owed her butler.

"More like _favors_ ," Ozpin corrected, emphasizing the plural form. "I believe Ash told you that he and Glynda had met before."

"Yes, when he first arrived at Beacon," Weiss told the professor. Glynda stayed silent, practicing her breathing exercises.

"It was through one of those favors that mainly allowed him to enroll here," Ozpin admitted before drinking from his cup. "My involvement only mattered near the end, after everything had already been said and done."

"How many more do you owe Miss Goodwitch?" Weiss asked the blonde professor. "And is it really that bad to owe Ash a favor?"

"In that order," Glynda said, already back to her usual calm and stoic behavior. "He's still yet to call three favors, and it is hell being indebted to him Miss Schnee. He'll call in a favor at the most random times. He called in that enrollment favor while I was in the shower."

"You answered him?" Ozpin asked, as he'd yet to hear this side of the story. "It seemed that the fault was yours Glynda."

"The boy lied to me Ozpin," Glynda accused, glaring at the unconscious boy. "He said he would only call in a favor when it was an emergency. I should've known. The boy was only ten years old when I first met him."

"What'd he do for you professor?" Weiss asked, getting up from the make shift double bed. "That is if you don't mind me asking."

"Some hooligans were drunk and were…" Glynda explained, but stopped when she realized what she was about to say.

"Courting you?" Weiss offered, to which the professor nodded gratefully.

"Yes, courting me," Glynda continued satisfied with the heiress' choice of words. "And I wanted to quickly get rid of them, but I was afraid that Beacon may lose credibility if I did. We were in public and I had no legal reason to use my training against them, until that boy arrived."

"Why does it seem like I won't like what happens next?" Weiss asked herself out loud, but just outside of the professors' sense of hearing.

"He came to me specifically, crying about being lost in the city," Glynda continued, getting lost in the memory. "He was dressed like he was when he first came here to Beacon, giving off that child of a noble feeling. The hooligans turned their attention to him, demanding money in turn of their help. That alone gave me enough reason to attack them in the eyes of the public. After I've dealt with them, he came to me and embraced my leg, crying even harder than before."

"That doesn't sound like Ash," Weiss said out loud, trying to think back when Ash had cried from despair, but came up with nothing.

"That's because it's not. Once we got a good distance away from the crowd, he dropped the act. He explained to me his plan to get me out of the situation, even his back up plan of pretending to be my son."

"I can see the resemblance," Ozpin muttered, with Weiss agreeing with him.

"That's hardly the point. It's thanks to him that not only did I manage to escape those people but also release some built up stress. It was that favor that he called in."

"But why does it seem like that you despise the fact that you owed him?" Ozpin asked, just as curious as Weiss.

"Because I despise the fact that he wasn't able to use that back up plan," Glynda admitted, a blush turning her cheeks red.

Weiss thought back to a memory of a ten-year-old Ash, and understood the professor's situation. If Ash had somehow turned ten years old now and offered to pretend to be her little brother for at least a day, she would take the offer immediately. However, Weiss had the solution to the blonde professor's problem.

"Professor Goodwitch, I believe I have something that will satisfy you," Weiss called out, a smile playing at her lips. She went over to the professor and whispered something in her ear.

"If it's that Miss Schnee," Glynda started, taking the girls hands in her own. "Then not only will I stop trying to blackmail your butler, but I will also be in your debt."

The two girls laughed and giggled as if long lost friends. Ozpin could only stare at the two, worried for his newest student.

"As much as it makes me sound like the villain," Ozpin muttered out loud. "I fear for when you recover Ash. May Oum watch over you."

After discussing their plan, Weiss and Glynda broke apart from each other and smiled. Without even a word of farewell, Glynda walked out of the room with the brightest smile that Ozpin had ever seen on her. When she was safely out of earshot, Weiss turned to the old professor.

"So why did you ask me to do those kind of things to Ash professor?" Weiss asked the professor, a bit of blush on her cheeks. The professor chuckled looking to Ash.

"Let's just say there's a third party in this war against good and evil," Ozpin said cryptically. He turned to Weiss with a confused expression. "If you don't mind me asking, what were you and Glynda discussing?"

"A new student professor," Weiss told him just as cryptically. "Ashley Schnee."

* * *

 **Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all!**


	12. The Ugly Duckling

Weiss stood in the hall just outside the elevator that led to Professor Ozpin's office at the top of Beacon's tower. She wore a bright smile as she looked around the hall for probably the sixtieth time, making sure that the hall was clear of students and staff alike.

It was Wednesday, the day after Ash had made a full recovery from his illness. Which also meant, that it was time for Ash to be punished. Which is exactly why she was waiting in the hall.

Weiss checked the hall again, her heart beating faster against her chest, as she patiently waited for the elevator doors to open. The first class of the day was already well under way, but she still had to check.

Finally, the elevator door opened and Glynda Goodwitch stepped out of it with Ozpin by her side. Glynda had a satisfied smile, along with a shameless blush gracing her cheeks. Ozpin on the other hand, shook his head as a frustrated sigh escaped through his lips.

From behind them, a girl came out of the elevator with the proper Beacon academy uniform for girls donned. She had long black hair that would be around the same length as Weiss' should she let it down. Her black eyes looked around everywhere, as if fearing anyone's presence. The only difference in her uniform is the long, sleeve like, skintight glove that reached her elbows just in case someone takes notice of the similarity.

In truth she was actually a he. In truth it was just Ash in a forced disguise.

While she helped the boy change to the uniform, Glynda couldn't help but notice Ash's surprisingly slender build, despite his weapon of choice. There wasn't much surprise left afterwards that the boy ended up to be a believable part of the female population, despite his obvious lack of… proportions in certain parts. A minor problem however, as it can be dismissed by merely discussing hormone levels.

"Miss Schnee," he complained, unable to help his cheeks reddening in embarrassment. "Please rethink my punishment. Please anything but this. I'll do anything else."

"Uh uh _Ashley_ ," Weiss teased, raising and shaking her finger at him. "Right now, you are my younger sister. It would be rather strange for my sister to call me the same way my butler would."

"Yes, Weiss," Ash said hesitantly.

"Also it might be in your best interest to speak in a higher tone of voice," Weiss continued to tease the boy. Glynda could almost squeal at the chance to enjoy Ash suffer like this. "I'm sure you wouldn't want anyone else to know that Ashley Schnee is actually Ash Valentine."

"Miss Schnee I—" Ash started but was quickly interrupted by the elated heiress.

"What is my name, Ashley?" Weiss reminded him, earning a groan from the disguised butler. "Also, tone."

"Weiss," Ash answered, forcing his voice to raise an octane or two to make him sound like a girl, a surprisingly believable one at that. "I apologize dear sister."

Weiss' heart skipped a beat when Ash called her 'sister,' and slightly felt bad for her blonde professor for not being able to experience the feeling.

"Now come along you two," Glynda said, beaming with excitement at the introduction of her _new_ student. Ash could only swallow some saliva in fear. "I had Professor Peach cover for my absence in the class, but I think it's time that I relieved her. It is supposed to be her class preparation period right now."

Weiss and Glynda headed to class, practically skipping in their excitement, but Ozpin held the disguised male back for a second.

"I wish you the best of luck Ash," he said to Ash, both of them looking at their female partners. "I'm sorry I couldn't do anything about this."

"Its quite all right professor," Ash said in his higher pitched tone, committing to the role as early as he can to avoid accidently forgetting it in the future. "I'm sure there was nothing you could've done."

"There was nothing I can do," Ozpin told the boy. Ash turned to him with fear in his eyes. "If I had known that this was the punishment that she had in stored for you, I would have intervened."

"You're lying professor," Ash said with a defeated sigh. "Your ears twitch twice whenever you lie."

"Now I see why Weiss finds it annoying that you know her tell," Ozpin admitted, letting out a sigh of his own. "But please do know that I am truly sorry Ash."

"I know Ozpin," Ash reassured the old professor. "Your ears didn't twitch that time around."

"Stop looking at my ears and go," Ozpin commanded, fighting the urge to cover his ears with his hands to deter the boy. Ash let out one final sigh before hesitantly following his professor and supposed sister, but Ozpin suddenly called out to him, stopping him in his pursuit. "Wait Ash! I nearly forgot."

Ash walked back to the old professor, wondering what he wanted. Ozpin fished out another scroll from his pocket and extended it to the disguised boy. Ash took it curiously, wondering why the professor gave him an extra one.

"It's a fake," the older man explained, the boy quickly understanding, but the professor continued anyway. "You'll still need a scroll to access many of Beacon's facilities as well as many things in Vale. This will grant you temporary full access to these under Ashley Schnee."

"I appreciate it professor," Ash said, taking the faked scroll from him, before producing his usual one and extending it to the headmaster. "Then please hold on to this for me. It would be strange for Ashley Schnee to answer when someone calls Ash Valentine."

Ozpin took the scroll from the boy and hid it in his pocket.

"All right now go," Ozpin commanded, motioning the boy the other direction, towards the direction Weiss and Glynda went off to. Ash followed the professor's order and walked to class.

* * *

Weiss waited for Ash by the door to the classroom, while Glynda relieved Professor Peach and announced to the class the story that she and Weiss created as an alibi to Ash's sudden disappearance and the sudden appearance of Weiss' sister.

"All right students settle down," Weiss heard Glynda announce. "I will be reviewing the footage that Professor Peach has recorded, so for those who thought that this would be a free day, you are sorely mistaken."

"Now it is in my great sorrow to announce that Mister Ash Valentine's illness has taken a turn for the worse," Glynda said the rehearsed line perfectly, like she had done dozens of times the night before. "He has been transported late last night to a hospital in Atlas under the Schnee Dust Company's protection."

There were murmurs of worry from various students, mainly from Team RWBY and JNPR, but there were also murmurs of gratitude from students like Team CRDL. Glynda clapped her hands once, dismissing the murmurs immediately.

"However, for the time being, the third Schnee daughter will be with us," Glynda continued her announcement, eliciting another set of murmurs from her students. "She simply will be visiting Beacon, but will participate in classes like a normal student. But remember; do not overstep your boundaries. She is still the youngest Schnee daughter."

Outside, Ash had finally caught up to Weiss, trying his best to make sure that the skirt did not show anymore that it should. Weiss impatiently ran to Ash and grabbed him by the arm, dragging the boy to the classroom.

"Come on Ashley," Weiss teased, barely able to contain her excitement. Ash tried to hide behind Weiss but his slightly larger form made him unable to hide properly. "I'm sorry professor, but my sister is rather shy."

"It's quite all right," Glynda responded, noting the small nod from the actual heiress. "Both of you please take your seats."

"Yes professor," Weiss responded, gently dragging Ash up to their usual seats. Glynda didn't wait for the two to be seated before she restarted the class.

Weiss took her seat next to Ruby and Ash took his seat next to Weiss. Immediately, their friends bombarded the boy with interviews.

"You didn't tell us you had another sister Ice Queen," Yang complained at her teammate's incompetence to inform them of her additional sister. "So Ice Princess, what's your name?"

"Ashley," Ash answered shyly, taking note of Weiss' amused expression at his girl voice. "My name is Ashley Schnee."

"I thought Schnee's all have white hair," Jaune chimed in, making Weiss nervous. She and Glynda had come up with every single part of the story for Ash, but unfortunately they had forgotten something as obvious as hair color.

"I was stuck with the recessive gene of black hair," Ash lied, faking nearly crying of embarrassment, making the blonde knight shrink back in shame. "It's one of the reasons why I was almost never mentioned. The 'Ugly Duckling' of the Schnee family, if you would."

"Well Lady Killer, good job," Yang said sarcastically, glaring at her fellow blonde along with a few others. "You killed your chances with another girl."

Jaune shrunk back in his seat muttering an apology, not wanting to participate in the interview anymore. Weiss openly gave her 'sister' an approving look, praising the boy for quickly dismissing her blunder in the operation.

"Don't let that dunce get to you Ashley," Weiss 'reassured' her sister, placing a hand on her shoulder for comfort. "You're adorable. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise."

"Thank you sister," Ash replied, giving Weiss a strained smile, much to her enjoyment. "That means a lot coming from you."

"So Ashley," Yang called out, drawing out her name with a devious smirk. "What can you tell us about your sister and Ash?"

"Which sister Miss…?" Ash asked, pretending not to know her name to avoid suspicion.

"Name's Yang Xiao Long," Yang introduced herself with pride, earning her a glare from the professor for being too loud. Yang ducked down a little as if it would help her disappear. "But just call me Yang. I've had enough of 'Miss Xiao Long' from Ash."

"All right, Yang," Ash said uncomfortable with calling her by her given name, and as a girl at that. "Which sister do you mean? He's had several different interactions with us."

"She means Weiss," Blake intervened, narrowing her eyes at the disguised boy.

"I unfortunately was very sickly as a child so I can't tell you much," Ash explained, feeling severely uncomfortable that he'd have to refer to himself in the third person. "He and my sister have been together ever since they were seven. I remember him always sticking by her side, whenever I saw her through the window of my room."

Weiss silently thanked Oum and whatever Ash did in the past that allowed him to lie so well. She and Glynda would never have thought of anything as complex as a detailed background story as this.

"Yeah, we got that so far," Nora told Ash, impatience quickly consuming her. "But what we want is some juice, some cheese. You get what I mean?"

"I… I'm sorry but I don't," Ash said innocently, his brain working overtime creating some convoluted story for the character he's forced to play.

"Have there been some things that went on with Weiss and Ash?" Nora asked aggressively, getting closer to Ash's face to show her impatience. "Come on there has to be something."

Ash pretended to think back by grabbing his chin with his right index and middle fingers along with his thumb. A small devious smile, only noticeable to Weiss, formed on Ash, making the heiress swallow in fear.

"There were a few times I've seen them exit the bath together," Ash unveiled to all of them, causing Weiss' blood to rush to her cheeks. This resulted in Nora literally jumping out of her seat and squealing in delight despite Glynda's protests.

"Weiss?" Ruby called out to her partner cautiously. Weiss was glaring at Ash, while Ash laughed discreetly at his mistress' reaction. Weiss gathered her wits before turning to explain to all of them.

"Ash was merely helping me wash my back," she explained to them, as if it was a normal thing. "Winter was busy at times and I couldn't ask Ashley because she was sick. Besides, he's my personal butler, so it's technically his job."

"Weiss as much as I understand your reasoning," Pyrrha said, looking away from the heiress, not wanting to make eye contact with her for the moment. "It doesn't change the fact that you were… undressed… in front of Ash."

"It was all innocent!" Weiss exclaimed, her once pale face, now beet red.

"Ashley, tell me something else and you'll be my best female friend," Nora declared proudly and hungrily.

"May I know your name first, Miss…?" Ash trailed off asking Nora to fill in the blank.

"Nora Valkyrie," Nora said proudly with her chest puffed out. "But my friends call me Nora. And the two of us are friends now. Soon we'll be best female friends."

"All right," Ash said a bit weakly and shy, just as he was told Ashley Schnee was. "Though it's a bit cliché, every night on Valentine's Day, Ash would go outside, just outside of my sister's bedroom window, somewhere where she couldn't see him, with a violin and play her a piece."

"That's it!" Nora yelled out loud, her voice echoing in the classroom. Glynda glared at the energetic girl, but couldn't help but wonder what was going on. "You, Ashley Schnee, are now my best female friend!"

Weiss grabbed her sister by her collar and gently brought her closer, allowing her to whisper without anyone else hearing, even Blake.

"That was you?" Weiss asked her butler, her cheeks still tinted pink.

"Yes Miss Schnee," Ash confirmed with the smile that Weiss was familiar with. "I honestly thought that I'd be able to keep it a secret that for just a while longer, but it's the only thing that I could come up with."

"Why admit this now?" she asked, only for Ash to silence her by putting a finger to his lips.

"Weiss unhand my BFF!" Nora declared. "She has to tell me more stories."

"I will not give you my sister you brute," Weiss told her, holding Ash's head against her chest. Ash merely tried to hide from them as Ashley Schnee would. "She does not have to do anything you tell her."

"The same for you," Nora countered. The two of them glared at each other before turning to Ash, still in Weiss' arms.

"I'm sorry Nora," Ash apologized, his voice a bit muffled as he dug in closer to Weiss' clothing, making the heiress blush. "But I love my sister. I would not dare disobey her."

Weiss smiled proudly before smiling at Ash, thanking him for siding with her. Nora sat down rather disappointed, but didn't take her eyes off the Schnee sisters.

Weiss kissed Ash's forehead, unable to help herself, eliciting a mew from their friends.

"I ship it," Nora said seriously. Everyone just stared at her deadpanned.

"Nora, they're sisters," Ren reminded her, placing a hand on his childhood friend's shoulder. "That is an act of incest."

"Oh Renny," Nora said faking a laugh. "It's merely a crack ship."

"All right enough from the nine of you," Glynda said with authority behind her voice. Team RWBY, JNPR, and Ash turned to the professor currently glaring daggers at them. "What could be so important that class was suddenly deemed unimportant?"

"The hero is gone Miss Goodwitch!" Yang reminded her excitedly, her hair slightly igniting. "And right now the bad guys have a hostage."

"Oh if only you knew," Glynda muttered to herself, but soon dismissed her ecstatic student. "I'm sorry to inform you Miss Xiao Long but I made a promise to Miss Schnee to discontinue my pursuit."

"So you know about Weiss and Ash bathing together?" Yang offered, placing her newly acquired evidence.

"I suddenly regret that decision," Ash whispered to Weiss, never breaking character.

"Good," Weiss replied simply as she watched her professor flush at Yang's revelation.

Ash made it seem like his scroll rang, and brought it out, placing it against his ear.

"Ash?" he pretended to be concerned for the person that wasn't there. While in the cover of his head, Ash maneuvered through the scroll's icons and waited to play the recording he prepared earlier for a situation like this. "Hold on. Miss Goodwitch?"

"All right, let's see what he has to say," she said, trying to force her blood back to its normal state. Ash walked up to the front of the room and handed Glynda the scroll. She immediately understood his plan and connected the scroll to the speakers in the room.

"All right Mister Valentine, you may speak," Glynda said to the scroll, pretending to talk to the person that isn't there as well.

"Miss Xiao Long," Ash's voice sounded strained, and grave, almost as if he really was ill in a hospital in Atlas. "I understand that at this point, you or Miss Valkyrie has asked Miss Ashley for stories about me. And you've unmistakably announced them to the class."

"How in freaking Remnant does he know?" Yang whispered to her sister, Ash's intuition unnerving the blonde girl and making her feel like he was watching her somewhere – and he technically was. Ruby shrugged her shoulders, a bit unnerved as well.

"But please let me try to dismiss all of that," Ash's recording continued, followed by several faked, but realistic coughs. The series of coughs stopped, but left an even graver voice as an effect. "Should any one of you listening to me now disclose any information you heard about me or the Schnee family to anyone, or even so much as have the thought of taking advantage of them, I will hunt you down to ensure your permanent silence."

Several more cough followed before the recording promptly ended, faking the call ended. The class was silent, slowly taking in Ash's threat. The first to give in was Cardin. Being at the end of his blade before, he knew first hand what the butler could do.

"Bring it on Ash!" Nora yelled even though the supposed call had already ended. "He can't take us all on at the same time, right? He's not that good right?"

"Well," Glynda called attention to herself after handing Ash back his scroll and allowing him to return to his seat. She quickly maneuvered through her scroll, trying to a find a certain file. "General James Ironwood has admitted defeat against Mister Valentine after their hand to hand exhibition match nearly a year ago; although the match was recorded as a draw. Ah, here it is."

Glynda pulled up an article on the large monitor above her, showing a photo of a heavily damaged General Ironwood on one knee and Ash lying on his back, seemingly unconscious.

"Both ran completely out of Aura after one last attack after a ten minute duel," Glynda summarized, reading ahead in the article. "The records show that their Aura levels reached zero at the same time, but the general swears that this was his loss. Everyone believes that it's just the general's pride, but to this day, he has always mentioned that exhibition to be a loss."

"That was probably because of some dumb luck," Nora quickly dismissed, waving her hand as if the information was air.

"Then how about you duel him yourself Miss Valkyrie?" Glynda suggested, smiling, as she knew the girl wouldn't be able to refuse. "After Mister Valentine has fully recovered, I'll allow the two of you to duel."

"But isn't it unfair that Ash doesn't have a lot of time to prepare for it like I do?" Nora asked innocently.

"If anything Miss Valkyrie," Glynda told her with a smile. "You're the one that needs time to prepare. Keep in mind that Mister Valentine is trained to combat people."

"And Nora," Weiss chimed in, earning the girl's attention, as Ash continued trying to hide behind Weiss. "You have to remember that General Ironwood is an experienced Huntsman, yet Ash – even if something as intangible as luck is involved – managed to duel him to a standstill."

"I thank you for the praise Miss Schnee," Ash whispered to the heiress, making her smile. "That means a lot coming from you. Though General Ironwood did give me a rather large handicap. Not even for a second did he fight me seriously."

"Just make sure you defeat Valkyrie in your duel," Weiss told Ash, a smile forming on the boy.

"Your sister really must be dependent on you huh Weiss?" Pyrrha noted, staring at Weiss arms that are wound tightly around her supposed sister. "I somehow doubt that it's always been like that."

"I just don't want that brute Nora to taint my innocent little sister," Weiss lied, but released her grip on the boy anyway. Ash pulled away from his mistress, discreetly breathing in deeply, to recover lost air.

Weiss felt like her little 'prank' would be quickly exposed if she let her guard down even for a second, that being the only reason she held Ash for so long. Ash placed his hand on hers as a way to comfort her, noticing the discomfort of the heiress.

"You know, Ashley kinda reminds me of Ash," Ruby said innocently, staring at the two with her head propped up with her right hand. The statement had both heiress and butler sweating bullets from fear. "Ruby Rose, leader of Team RWBY. Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure's mine," Ash greeted, hiding a bit behind Weiss' shoulder. "What do you mean by that Ruby? How do I resemble Ash?"

"Just the way you guys act around Weiss," Ruby said simply, barely paying attention to the professor in front.

"I've never seen Ash ever hide behind me," Weiss said sarcastically, rolling her eyes at the leader.

"No I mean the way they react to you," Ruby quickly clarified, waving her arms in front of her. "Every time you're stressing about something, Ash would always put his hand on yours. It's just something I noticed."

"It's just something that Ash, Winter and I noticed about her Ruby," Ash lied, still uncomfortable referring to himself not only in the third person, but also as another person entirely. "Familiar warmth quickly calms my sister. Even something as simple as placing our hand on hers is enough. It's sort of our way to show her that she isn't alone, even when she feels like it."

"Aww that's cute," Ruby cooed, teasing Weiss by pursing her lips at her.

"Oh be quiet," Weiss dismissed, though embarrassed by the notion. "Enough stories Ashley. Oum knows how much trouble we can get in to with just one more story."

"Yes dear sister," Ash said, leaning his head on Weiss' shoulder. Weiss' heart beat fast when Ash once again called her 'sister,' but her heart almost burst when he put his head on her shoulder.

The change of formality and pace from Ash was a welcomed change to Weiss. Sure, this situation put Ash's reputation and pride on the line, but that itself was part of the excitement – if not the main. The fact that the two of them are forced to recognize each other in a different point of view is another large reason for the excitement. A third reason why Weiss was enjoying this so much is the fact that she was learning so much about Ash in the process of this punishment.

Truth be told, the only down side that Weiss could see, is the revenge that Ash is sure to exact revenge on her once this punishment is over. But all of Remnant would freeze over first before she lets this opportunity simply just fade over – no, she would enjoy it till the very end.

"Aren't you getting a bit too close Ashley?" Weiss whispered to the boy on her shoulder.

"Maybe," Ash admitted quietly, but made no effort to remove himself from Weiss' shoulder. Instead he placed his hand on Weiss' hand that she had snaked around his hip, but only noticed when she felt Ash's hand on it. "But you don't seem to mind sister. Besides, I wasn't the one keeping my head on your chest."

"That was to protect you idiot," Weiss defended, thanking Oum that Ash wasn't facing her to see her blush.

"Then please continue to protect me Weiss," Ash teased, and made himself more comfortable on Weiss' shoulder.

"Oh by the way," Weiss started, her cheeks getting redder at what she's about to say. "We have to sleep together in Ash's room for the time being."

"Excuse me?" Ash asked, wanting the heiress to repeat what she had just said, or if she was just joking. When she looked away, with even her ears turning red, Ash nearly screamed in panic.

Turns out, Ozpin had the door to the room repaired when Ash was bed ridden in the infirmary, not knowing that it'll be used for this.

* * *

It's now the next day, and Weiss had a new goal: Make sure that she can continue Ash's punishment in peace. However, two factors are getting in the way of that.

One of them is that for some reason, the professors' have been rather active with their questions; even Professor Port has taken the liberty to ask more questions instead of just telling his stories. For some reason, those questions have been almost always directed at the new student. Apparently, something about a new student inspires the professors to test exactly how much knowledge he or she has. Thankfully, Ash knows to act oblivious to some questions to attract less attention – works on students, not the faculty.

The second reason is that Glynda and Ozpin has tasked Team RWBY with the planning and decorating of the school dance on Saturday. They could've asked to have it pushed back to the following weekend, but Yang and Ruby insisted that they have to have it this weekend as Ashley is supposed to 'return' to Atlas on Sunday. Again, it also didn't help Weiss' goal that she herself got in to decorating for it.

"I wonder what color of tablecloth we should get," Weiss said excitedly, looking through browsers of different colored tablecloths on her scroll. "We probably shouldn't get anything too vibrant, the dresses will be enough for that. Ruby what do you think?"

"Does it really matter?" Ruby asked from a table, already tired of listening to the heiress' plans to make this dance unforgettable. "I don't know… red?"

"Really? Red?" Weiss asked, as she scrolled through the red tablecloths, trying to imagine what each would look like on the tables. "Hmmm… I don't know. I imagine lots of girls are going to be wearing red."

"Weiss you've been at this for an hour," Ruby said with a frustrated sigh, letting her head fall down on the table. "Why can't you just pick one and be done with it?"

"Because this is important," Weiss argued back, looking away from her scroll for a second, as if to show the importance of the matter. "The table cloths will help set the mood of this dance."

"Then may I suggest either white or splashed white?" Ashley said walking in to the door of the ballroom. "In a place full of color coordinated people like Beacon, either color will best reflect that fact."

"Hey look Ashley can help you," Ruby beamed standing up and ready to bolt out of the room. "Ashley, please. I have no idea what she's or you're talking about."

Without even a word of farewell, Ruby disappeared, leaving behind a few rose petals where she once stood.

"My first school dance and I won't even be there," Ash sighed after he was sure that the red-cloaked leader was gone, but still used Ashley's voice. Weiss laughed at the boy's dilemma, and put her scroll away to talk to the boy – she needed the distraction anyway.

"Oh it'll be fun," Weiss reassured the boy, already thinking of what kind of dress he'd look good in. "I can't wait to see lines of people waiting to ask you to the dance."

"Oh no, Ashley Schnee is going alone," Ash declared, dreading the thought of some random stranger asking him to the school dance. "What I want to know is who will be taking you to the dance. Would it be Mister Vasilias? I hear the two of you managed to hit it off when you first met."

"Nope, it's not going to be Neptune that's going to take me," Weiss said, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Though I might be tempted to say 'Yes' if he does ask me."

"I don't understand," Ash admitted, confusion clear on his face. "Do you not want Mister Vasilias to ask you?"

"Unfortunately someone's already taking me to the dance," Weiss admitted, though the smile on her face didn't really make it seem that she was disappointed.

"Then who is it?" Ash asked trying to find out who she could've said 'Yes' to before Neptune could even have the chance to ask her. "Is it Mister Arc?"

"No," Weiss said, taking a step closer to Ash, making the distance between them only a few inches. "You are."

"I don't ever remember asking Miss Schnee," Ash said, calling her the way Ash would out of habit. Weiss immediately stomped on his toes, eliciting a groan of pain from the boy. "Weiss."

Weiss smiled innocently at the boy and removed her foot from his. Ash stopped himself from going down on one knee and rubbing the probably bruised parts of him, only letting out a sigh of relief instead, despite his throbbing toes.

"Ask me right now," Weiss ordered, looking around making sure that no one was around. "Well come on, there's no time like the present."

"Well, who am I asking as?" Ash asked, letting his real voice come through at the very end. "Am I taking my sister to the dance, or my mistress?"

"Ash Valentine is supposed to be recovering still," Weiss reminded him, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Or do you want me to ask you?"

"No it's fine," Ash quickly dismissed, taking a step back, but hesitating afterwards. "I just really don't know how to ask."

"You're not asking for my hand in marriage you idiot," Weiss teased, laughing at the flustering boy. "Just ask like you would ask someone for the time."

"Then would you go with me to the dance dear sister?" Ash asked, bowing like a proper lady would, and extending his hand for her to take.

"We'll work on it," Weiss laughed, but took the boy's hand anyways. "But yes, I'd love to go with you Ashley."

"What's wrong with how I asked?" Ash asked, confused as to what he did wrong.

"Ashley, would you bow to someone if you needed to know the time?" Weiss questioned, shaking her head at the boy. He shook his head lightly to ensure that the wig doesn't fall off. "Exactly, so next time that Ashley Schnee _decides_ to _visit_ again, it'll be better."

"I promise to never disobey you again Miss Schnee," Ash promised, only for Weiss to step on his foot once again. Ash let out another groan of pain, his Aura being the only reason that his foot isn't broken… yet. "Weiss, I meant Weiss. I promise never to disobey you again Weiss."

"Good," Weiss said, with a prideful smile on her.

"I don't know what's a worse punishment," Ash whimpered, with tears in his eyes; the sight making Weiss even more elated than before. "Being Ashley Schnee, or a simple stomp on the foot."

"Do you not like being my sister Ash?" Weiss asked, faking being hurt by the butler's words.

"That's not what I meant Miss- Weiss," Ash tried to defend himself, catching his blunder before he gave Weiss another reason to step on him. "But being dressed like this makes feel… rather conscious."

"Good, maybe afterwards you won't worry me again," Weiss hinted her desired effect, even though she knew that such an order was impossible to start with. "Besides, you look absolutely adorable Ashley. It really does seem like you were born a girl."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Ash said though a bit unsure.

"Really you're only missing one thing," Weiss said, pressing her hands and body on Ash's chest.

"Oh don't worry about Weiss," Ash said playing along with her. "I'm sure you'll grow a pair large enough for the both of us."

"Oh so you wish to play do you Ash?" Weiss said in a calm voice, but filled with pure rage and hostility. She kept her body pressed against Ash, a playful dark smile forming on her. "I don't mind playing. But why should we keep all the fun to ourselves? I say we invite the whole team to play. I'm willing to put my pride aside for one night."

Weiss pulled her scroll back out and moved to contact the entirety of Team RWBY. Within a minute, they all were connected to one call.

"What's this about Weiss?" Ruby asked, her voice somewhat drowsy. "I thought you and Ashley already picked out a tablecloth."

"Tablecloth?" Blake asked, her voice frustrated, and kept cutting off by her panting. "You called us for tablecloth?"

"What? No," Weiss defended, silently cursing Ruby for bringing the topic up. "Why do you sound so out of breath?"

"I'm just trying to find out more about the White Fang," she answered, a yawn accompanying the reply soon after. "Since Ash is out of commission for the time being, he can't really help us look for them now can he?"

"Give him a break Kitty," Yang said teasingly, herself out of breath as well. "He pretty much went to hell and back. We're lucky he only caught a cold."

"That's just the thing Yang," Blake said trying to explain through frustration. "There's hundreds of folders here, some of them leading to more folders. There's no way he could've gone through all of them in a single night. We need someone else to go through all of this."

"That's not necessarily true Miss Belladonna," Ash said in his normal voice, earning him a quick glare from Weiss, but nodded for him to go ahead anyway.

"Ash? You've been in this call?" Blake asked bewilderment in her voice.

"That is correct Miss Belladonna," Ash confirmed, thinking back to the night he went through the White Fang files. "I've arranged those files myself when I went through them. The fifty folders on the left technically are all the same. Each folder is technically just one story. If you really do want to know the contents, the final file in each of them is the summary I wrote for the corresponding story."

"You had one night," Yang reminded him, determined to curse the boy for all eternity for making the work seem like child's play.

"Don't worry yourself about the White Fang Miss Belladonna," Ash ignored the brawler, knowing that the time he had before someone comes in to the ballroom was limited. "Rather, enjoy the dance. You're still a young Huntress, there's no need for you to overwhelm yourself with stress."

"I really don't want to hear that from you Ash," Blake said deadpanned, with the girls' agreement. "But, I'll do as you say."

"Thank you," Ash replied, happy that he was able to help. "Now, I'm sorry but I have to go. I was only allowed a few minutes with my scroll. I'll see you all soon."

Ash let out a small sigh, as Weiss nodded at him, as a way to thank him for reassuring the Faunus. Weiss cleared her throat before speaking.

"All right, well there's something I want to… convey," Weiss told them choosing her words carefully, as to not terrify the boy in front her… yet. "I have a way to help my sister with her shy attitude."

"Why are you suddenly so forceful?" Blake asked.

"It's all right," Weiss reassured her, a mischievous smile forming on her. "We're all just going to take a bath together, that's all."

"Oh that's not so bad," Yang said innocently, already thinking of it. "Great idea Ice Queen."

Ash turned and ran as fast as he could, though not daring to use his semblance to go faster just in case someone manages to put two and two together. There was silence in the call as the girls all listened to rapid footsteps disappearing in to the distance.

"What was that?" Ruby asked as the footsteps went away.

"That was the problem," Weiss answered with a deep sigh. "That was my sister running away."

"Would've been too easy," Yang sighed in disappointment. "Which way?"

"My sister's always been a fast runner despite her illness," Weiss lied, surprising herself that she was able to formulate such a story. "She could literally be anywhere on Beacon right now. I doubt even Oum knows how she's able to pull off stunts like this with a weakened body."

"Should we even try though?" Ruby asked, concerned about her partner's sister. "If she's going to this far to avoid it, then who are we to force her? At least she's going to the dance right?"

"Oh yeah," Yang started, remembering a rumor she heard earlier. "Be careful Weiss, I heard that there are quite a few people that wants to take your sister to the dance."

"Well, then it's a real shame she already asked me," Weiss told them, wearing a victorious smile. "They're going to have to find someone else."

"You guys are going together?" Ruby asked, stunned by the revelation.

"That's so cute!" Yang cooed. "It makes me wonder who you would've gone with if both her and Ash asked you, Ice Queen."

"Ash would never ask," Weiss admitted to them, rather disappointed, but realizing and accepting her white lie. "If anything, the best he'd do is dance with us once. Outside of that, he'd just be watching out for any trouble from somewhere in the room."

"Yup that sounds like him," Ruby muttered audibly. "So… picking dresses in Vale tomorrow?"

"Yes, even if we have to drag Ashley," Weiss said in a sinister tone, before ending the call.

* * *

Weiss looked at the two tablecloths that Ash recommended and chose one before starting her quest to find the missing butler.

After having completed much of the planning and the decorations, Team RWBY went in to Vale with Ashley in tow, leaving the rest to the rest of the teams helping for the dance. Weiss insisted that they split up in to two groups, in order to protect not only Ash's punishment, but his scars as well. Ruby, Yang and Blake were together as a group, while she and Ash were another.

It had been close to two hours since they've been there, and Weiss was the only one who had picked out a dress.

Ruby had trouble with the opinions of her sister, arguing that the dresses she chose were too boring.

Blake had trouble choosing, as she had to deal with both Ruby and Yang's opinions on her choices being too dark.

Yang had trouble choosing, as she had to deal to everyone's opinions on her choices being too revealing.

Ash had trouble choosing… or rather everyone had trouble trying to get him out of the fitting room.

"I'm sorry," he apologized behind the locked door, his voice attracting some of the passing strangers, wondering who was the girl that had locked herself in the room. "I can't do this after all. I simply can't go anywhere wearing something like this."

"You're just overreacting," Weiss argued back, her chosen dress dangling from the hook that her left arm and hip formed. "Just come out, and let me see how it looks on you."

"Is she all right?" another female shopper asked the heiress.

"Oh yes," Weiss answered, shaking her head. "She's just terribly shy."

"Must be tough," the stranger commented before leaving.

"Then at least let me in," Weiss offered, trying to make a compromise. "That should be fine, right? That way you can continue to hide, and I can give my opinion."

"The definition of hiding Miss Schnee," Ash said in a criticizing tone of voice, and referring to her as Ash would once more, without actually turning his voice back to normal. "Is the action of ensuring that no person is able to see you."

"All right," Weiss said in a calm tone of voice, but didn't really appreciate his criticism or the fact that he called her 'Miss Schnee' once again. "Then, I order you to unlock the door."

"All right that's not fair," Ash countered, making the heiress smile as she realized that she didn't care about playing fair with Ash. Having left with little to no choice, Ash unlocked the door and held it slightly ajar, peeking out to make sure that only Weiss approached him.

Weiss, true to her word, opened the door, entered, and locked the door behind her, before stomping on the boy's foot once more as punishment for calling her 'Miss Schnee'. A groan in pain emanated from the boy, nodding to her as if to tell her that he learned his lesson.

The fitting room was spacious enough for the two of them to stretch their arms without bumping to each other, something that Ash heavily appreciated. Weiss put her chosen dress down before analyzing Ash's dress.

Weiss could only look at Ash from top to bottom; analyzing the dress he was currently wearing, a dominantly black sleeveless dress. The bottom of the dress was black, the end almost reaching the floor, but enough to cover every part of Ash's legs and feet. The upper part of the dress was glittery light gray almost a series of leaves on top of each other as a pattern; it reached to a choker around his neck to hide the gauze that he adamantly refused to remove. The elbow long black gloves still on his arms, just to hide the scars on his palms.

"Yeah, you're getting that," Weiss told the boy, smiling at her choice. Ash looked to the mirror in the room, staring dreadfully at himself, and his current garb. "You look beautiful Ashley. There's nothing for you to be worried about. Wear the heels too."

Ash did as he was told, and moved to put on what he thought was the worst part of the outfit. While he was distracted, Weiss unlocked the door and opened it wide, exposing Ash to the rest of the store, especially their three friends just outside the door.

"Not bad Ice Queen," Yang praised as she, along with Ruby and Blake, took in the sight of their friend Ashley in the dress Weiss chose for her. "Actually, she can't wear that. She's so cute that it's kinda pissing me off."

"Weiss!" Ash complained as he pushed the smiling girl fully out of the room before slamming the door shut.

"It took me forever to get her to open the door," Weiss sighed, knocking on the door, only to receive no reply from the other side. "Ashley, come on. I left my dress in there, at least let me get it."

Without saying a word, Ash opened the door slightly and handed her the dress before slamming the door shut again.

"You know for someone with a weak body, she's pretty strong," Yang praised, watching some dust on the ceiling on the far side of the store, fall slowly to the ground.

"I can try to pick the door," Blake offered, producing a lock pick seemingly from nowhere.

"You can't pick a lock if it's being held," Ash reasoned from the other side of the door.

"Ashley, stop acting like a child and get out here," Weiss ordered sternly. Having left with little choice again, Ash opened the door and stepped out. Yang teased the girl by whistling as the lights of the store illuminated her form.

"You still wearing those gloves?" Yang asked, jokingly. "You seriously are like Ash."

"That's because I got the idea from him," Ash lied, trying to form another great story that he can use to escape. "Like I told all of you, I was the unwanted one among the Schnee daughters. I was made fun of a lot when I was a kid, so I ended up… harming myself."

"Ashley, that's enough," Weiss commanded, not wanting to hear anymore of this fake story. The thought of Ash harming himself for what happened in the past was simply too much for her. Of course he hadn't, but he had the past to elicit such a desire.

"Yes sister," Ash said faking a dejected tone of voice, as he stroked his right wrist.

"I really should just stop asking huh?" Yang said guiltily, receiving a nod from her sister and Weiss. "Sorry Ashley."

"It's fine Yang," Ash dismissed with a smile. "You didn't know."

"So, we ready to go?" Ruby asked, breaking the tension in the air. "We couldn't find anything that Blake actually liked other than this."

"You wanted me to wear that revealing piece of cloth you called a dress," Blake defended, crossing her arms on her chest, trapping her chosen dress in between. "There was practically nothing on top."

"You're exaggerating," Ruby countered, waving her hand at the Faunus. "It just showed your chest a bit."

"Yes, the middle of my chest," Blake glared at the leader, slightly turning red. "I'm not Yang."

"Oh come on partner, I'm not like that," Yang argued, but was ignored in the end.

"Please tell me you picked something appropriate," Weiss said, pinching the bridge of her nose. She managed to look up in time to see someone in black trying to go back in to the fitting room in her peripheral. "Don't you dare go back in to that room, Ashley."

"I was going to change out of this dress sister," Ash told her, pointing to the clothes he left within the room. "I thought we were going to go."

"Oh not yet," Weiss replied with a devious smile. "I'm not going to miss out on this opportunity to dress you in several more… dozens of dresses."

"Pick out every single dress that you think matches Ashley," Weiss told her team excitedly, to which they followed without question. "I told you we'd play."

Weiss drew Myrtenaster from her hip, and pointed the tip towards Ash. She pushed the boy in to the room, and made sure that he couldn't lock the door, not without getting past her blade first. For the next three hours, Ash had never missed the suffering he felt under his illness more.

An hour before the dance, Team RWBY and Ash met up in Ash's room, each of them already in their dresses. Ruby and Yang were playing their fighting game by the middle window, yelling curses at and boasting to each other for each victory and loss. Blake was given Ash's bed so she could lean back against the headboard and read just as she normally does in the Team RWBY dorm room. Weiss and Ash were sat on the spare bed that was put in the room for their… special situation.

The five were simply waiting for the designated time. However as the time grew shorter, Ash grew more and more nervous.

"Would you stop worrying?" Weiss nearly exclaimed at the boy as he continued his ten-minute fidgeting. "You look beautiful. You'll probably attract everyone's attention."

"Weiss, what I want is to attract no sets of eyes," Ash complained, burying his face in to cupped hands. "If I could, I would just stay here for the rest of the night."

"If you did that, then what use was yesterday for?" Weiss asked the boy, getting his head out of his hands by taking one of his hands in hers. He could only look at her with a fearful expression.

"I would assume that it would be for the 382 pictures the four of you took of me in different dresses and poses," Ash replied with a little venom. Weiss would've been offended if his small spite wasn't so rightfully placed.

"You actually kept count?" Weiss asked, as if that was the most important part to his complaint.

"No," Ash said dejectedly, all spite suddenly gone. "I simply lost count after that point."

"Oh you were cute," Yang joined in, as she and Ruby continued their seemingly never-ending battle. "You might actually be a gravure model if you wanted."

Ash slammed his body on the bed, burying his face in the pillows. The thought of Yang's supposed complement seemed to destroy most of Ash's usual confidence. He, a boy, is able to easily blend in the female population, without anyone being able figure out his true identity. But he soon forgot all of that, as he noticed that the pillows carried the scent of his mistress. He lost himself in the scent, closing his eyes in an attempt to heighten his sense of smell.

"This smells like you Weiss," Ash muttered to himself, not knowing that Weiss was able to hear what he said. "It smells so good."

Weiss blushed at the boy's confession, unable to say anything as her cheeks continued to heat up until it felt like it was on fire. She heard Ash take a deep breath as he seemingly fell asleep. She scooted closer to Ash and stroked his head, frowning slightly as the difference between the feeling of the wig and his actual hair became much more apparent to her.

A feeling of dissatisfaction filled her heart, all because of this punishment. Even though she knew that the person next to her was Ash, it was as if it was a completely different person. Even though this was her idea, a part of her had always been against, but she decided to ignore it. It was only now, that part became much more of a threat.

Ash himself suffered in a different way. Not only did he have to fear the embarrassment should the truth be found, but things just aren't the same between him and Weiss, almost as if they were more like strangers now. Even now, this simple interaction between seemed foreign, in more reasons than just the wig.

To both, it seemed that in just three days, Ashley Schnee, who had yet to exist before the punishment, became real. It was a weird sensation to have some existence between, even though technically that existence was Ash.

The five of them all kept doing what they were doing until the time drew closer, with the only exception being Ash as he had actually fallen asleep. Once the time was near, Weiss was granted the job of waking the butler up.

"We'll see you there Weiss," Yang called out, already heading out the door with her partner and sister. "We don't have dates so we have to get there early for the illusion."

Weiss couldn't say anything before the door slammed close, and now here she was, alone in a room with a sleeping Ash; like the previous few nights. Only this time, it felt different. Before they were only there to sleep, but now they have to go somewhere first.

"Ash," Weiss called out, shaking the boy's shoulder after making sure that there wasn't anyone around. "Ash wake up, come on. We have to get to the ballroom."

Ash only let out a small hum in response, before shifting slightly in his sleep. Weiss groaned, and shook his shoulder harder. Ash reached back and grabbed the hand shaking him, and pulled it and it's owner on to the bed next to him.

"Miss Schnee please," Ash said in his normal voice, rougher than usual. "I'll be up in a minute, just let me…"

With that, Ash fell asleep once more; his breath carrying the smell of mint as it brushed against Weiss. She waited the minute just as he requested, moving closer to make herself more comfortable. Then the minute became two, then five, then ten, and soon it was twenty.

"Ash?" she called once more, rousing the boy from his sleep, albeit only a slight bit. "We have to go. Come on, let's go. You can sleep in tomorrow."

"Will you dance with me?" Ash asked in Ashley's voice, smiling, as he already knew the answer. "Please dear sister?"

"I guess I have no choice," Weiss teased, cupping Ash's cheek in her right hand. "Only one dance?"

"Well if I were to have it my way," Ash said slowly, placing his left hand on hers. "Then no one would ever take you away from me."

Weiss couldn't grace the confession with a response, stunned by it. It was until after the fact that Ash had fully awaken. He blinked thrice, to wipe any remnant of drowsiness from his eyes.

"Then don't let anyone take me," Weiss finally responded, causing the butler to fully realize what he had just confessed. "Don't let even my father to take me away from you."

"Put it that way and it makes it sound like a marriage proposal," Ash teased her, taking her left hand in his right, tracing her ring finger. "Is there something that you want to say to me Weiss?"

"Just one," Weiss said dreamily, moving her right hand to Ash's ear, before forcefully grabbing and stretching it. "Let's go. Everyone's probably already there."

"Ow ow ok," Ash groaned, allowing the girl to pull his head by his ear. "I'm up. I'm up. Please let go, I think I may need that."

The two of them stood up from the bed, and flattened down any wrinkles that their dresses may have accumulated. Weiss stared at the small satchel around Ash's waist. He agreed to do everything that Weiss wanted him to do for the night, only if he was allowed to bring it with him. Unable to convince him otherwise, she had no choice but to agree.

They exited the room and locked it, and headed towards the ballroom. They met a few people on the way; the males dressed practically the same, black suits with white button up shirts underneath; the only difference is the color of their bowties. The females dressed differently, various colors, various designs.

"See?" Weiss told the butler once they were clear of any ears. "If you were to go Ash Valentine, it wouldn't have been any different from your usual wear."

"I still don't see how that makes this situation any better," Ash replied, motioning to the dress he's wearing. She smiled and shook her head, but didn't reply. They walked in silence to the ballroom, hearing the muffled music just down the hall.

They entered to find plenty of people already inside, including Blake talking with Sun and Neptune, Ruby and Jaune on a table being… well… Ruby and Jaune, and Yang was surprisingly being a sort of monitor on the top floor, but it was highly doubtful that it would continue to be like that.

There were people dancing, and there were people merely talking. It was again as if the threat of the Grimm didn't exist, and the differences between human and Faunus were nonexistent. It was times like this that needed to be enjoyed, and Ash smiled at the fact that they were all certainly enjoying this.

"So what do you want to do first?" Weiss asked, enjoying the smile on him. Ash looked at her and held her hand. "What are you doing?"

"Making sure that no one takes you away from me," Ash replied, causing the heiress to blush. "No matter what we do first, I am never leaving your side."

"Well, how about we wait for a waltz?" Weiss offered, leading Ash to the sidelines, where they might be able to talk at least a little.

They found a couple cushioned chairs with a clear view of the dance floor, and merely spoke of the past. They spoke of the first time they were in a ball as children. Reminiscing of when Weiss would accidently step on Ash's foot more than once as they danced, but kept a smile on him throughout it all.

He teased her of moments like that, which she would defend herself in anyway possible. In turn, she would tease him of when he found himself in the middle of strange noble women, as they teased him for being such a young butler. Like her, he would defend himself immediately.

Their conversation and teases went on for a while, but stopped when they saw Blake, accompanied by Sun and Neptune, walking towards them.

"Good evening Sun, Neptune," Ash greeted, to which Weiss soon followed. The two of them returned the greeting in less formal ways. "If I may ask. Why aren't you three dancing like the rest?"

"It's just not our thing," Sun replied laughing as he placed a hand on his partner's shoulder. "And besides, Neptune here can't dance."

"Really?" Ash asked, looking wide eyed at the blue haired intellectual. "That's certainly a shock."

"What about you two?" Blake asked, a drink in her left hand. "I would think that you two would be used to this. Doesn't being a Schnee mean that you have to go to dances?"

"Only a few Blake," Weiss replied, earning the attention of the two members of Team SSSN. "Though even then, it wasn't to this kind of music. We're more used to slow dances, like waltz."

"Though I doubt such a song would ever play here," Ash said, a little glad, though mostly disappointed.

"Two girls waltzing?" Sun asked completely oblivious. "I thought it's a guy and girl kind of thing."

"It is," Weiss told him, still kind of bitter about the duo's decision to eat while they fought the Paladin. "But Ashley usually replaces the male in that."

"Excuse me for a second," Blake excused herself, not waiting for a reply. She was soon out of sight, leaving the four to wonder what she needed so suddenly. Sun tried to go after her but was held back by Ash.

"She may need some privacy Sun," Ash told him, hinting at a certain action that she may have taken. "Let's just wait for her to come back."

The four of them talked whimsically for a while, until Blake came back. She had a victorious grin on her face, but when asked what made her so happy, she shook her head in reply.

The lights dimmed a little and the music stopped, much to the complaint of many of the students and the confusion of the rest. A spotlight appeared and shone on none other than Yang Xiao Long on the second floor.

"All right, let me tell you all a quick story," Yang said, a smirk growing on her, and a strange glint shining in her eyes. "There are two people in here that have been to thousands of dances before. But they aren't dancing right now."

Weiss and Ash looked at each other unnerved, before looking over to a more than usual elated cat Faunus.

"The thing is the younger of the two has a weak body," Yang continued her story, lilac eyes looking over to the supposed Schnee sisters. "So the only dance that she can do is the waltz. Now, it isn't really appropriate to waltz to club music now is it?"

"No!" the crowd answered in a unified yell. Yang smiled at her followers.

"Now here's the thing," Yang continued her explanation. "Usually, a dance is between a guy and a girl, but this waltz will be between two girls. Weiss and Ashley Schnee."

Another spotlight opened and shine one the supposed Schnee's. The crowd turned to them, as the two of them adjusted to the light shining on them.

"So how about we give them room for one dance and let them show us what they got?" Yang asked the crowd. The students parted to give Weiss and Ash a path to the middle, urging the two on with claps. "Come on girls. The floor's all yours. Miss G, we have anything?"

Yang's scroll grew bright in her pocket and the girl brought it out. She opened and a big white hand with its thumb up appeared on the screen.

"All right you two, we have something," Yang announced.

Ash let out a sigh, when he realized that they were trapped with no way to escape. He stood up and extended his hand to Weiss, who took it when she realized the same thing.

Together, the two of them made their way to the middle of the circle of students and stood on opposite sides a little bit above the middle, about five feet away from each other. Ash had his back turned to the middle while Weiss was facing it.

"Also before we start," Yang said suddenly dispirited. "A certain someone close to these two has threatened to hunt anyone down that has even thought of humiliating these two, so take photos and videos at your own risk. You should be fine if you don't have any evil intention. Trust me people. You don't want to be on his bad side. You've been warned."

A soft piano started playing and the two dancers looked to each other with a smile. Both started moving towards the middle, head turned to each other to gauge the distance. Weiss had her hands in front while Ash had his at his back.

They reached the middle, and they turned their bodies to face each other, taking three steps as they spun to meet the other in the direct middle. Ash hooked his arm and placed his right hand on Weiss' left shoulder blade. Weiss placed her left hand and most of her arm on top of Ash's right arm. They spun once, trading places.

Ash held his left hand in the air away from his body and head high. Weiss reached out for his raised hand with her right and held it. They took a seemingly choreographed step back behind Weiss, then another, turning so that they would do a complete circle, ending back in the middle.

"I'm glad to see you still remember our first dance," Ash said quietly in his own voice, hoping that no one was able to hear him other than the girl in front of him. Both smiled at each other, remembering the first time they danced like this. "My feet were stepped on less by this time of the dance back then."

Once they reached the middle, Ash removed his right hand from Weiss and gently guided her to his left, spinning her as their still intertwined hands stopped her motion. They held that position for a moment, before Weiss twirled back towards Ash, the boy guiding their intertwined hands up.

"Weren't you at fault then?" She stopped with her back flush against his chest, and right hand crossing her body in front of her. "You _were_ the one who refused to extend your foot further."

Weiss reached her left hand across her body as well, towards Ash's awaiting right hand. The two of them released each other from their first intertwined hands, and Ash guided the newly pair hands up once again, spinning the heiress softly as he did. Weiss stopped spinning when she was facing Ash once more.

"Then I'd have to say that I've improved since then," Ash's right hand slid up Weiss' arm and replaced it on her left shoulder blade, as Weiss did the same, replacing her left hand on top of Ash's arm. This time, when they raised their opposite hands, they were already intertwined again. "Now the only thing missing is the congregation of nobles openly wondering why one of the Schnee daughters is dancing with a mere servant."

The two of them once again took choreographed steps again, this time in a smaller circle, only taking four steps to get back to the middle.

"But you are a Schnee daughter right now," Weiss mused, laughing quietly as her butler remembered his current position. Ash once more removed his right hand from the girl and placed it at his side, Weiss did the same thing with her left hand. From their other hands, Ash brought them up again, spinning the heiress a full circle, and releasing her, only to grab her again with his right hand on to her already awaiting left hand. He brought the two hands up again and spun her, this time the opposite rotation. They did this twice more, before ending in a small dip. "You never did care for their opinions, and neither did we. So what's different to our dance now?"

Ash supported her with his left hand wrapped securely around her waist. Weiss reached up, the nearly horizontal position making it seem like she was reaching outward.

"Maybe that now, even though the song is nearing its end, my feet have yet to be stepped on," Ash pulled her right up, the distance between them less than before. "And that I'm not making a fool out of myself?"

Ash once again went back to the dance's default position. His right hand on Weiss' left shoulder blade, Weiss' left hand on top of that, and their opposite hands, intertwined just a foot away from them.

They once again went back to the steps and went the entire perimeter of the circle of students, before coming back to the middle. Once there, Ash removed his right hand from the heiress and lifted their intertwined hands, spinning the heiress softly until her back was turned to him. They let their joined hands release the other and Ash carried the heiress, by hooking his left arm around her waist, placing his hand on her stomach, and his right securely around the girl's left thigh. Weiss turned stiff, bending her right leg so that the tip of her shoe touched her left knee, and reached out upwards with her left hand. Ash spun them around once, before gently placing the girl back down on the ground.

Weiss bent her elbows and extended her forearms and hands outwards for Ash to take. Once he had them, the two of them took a step to the right then back to the left. Ash let her right hand go and raised her left with his. He spun Weiss till he faced him again, before going back to the default position.

They went back to the steps again, only going around once, this time only as far as the middle of the circle's center and edge. Once they got back to the middle, Ash once more released the girl's left shoulder blade and continued to spin her till the extent of their linked arms ran out. As she reached the peak the end, the two of them bowed just in time for the song to end.

Their audience clapped for them, many audibly cheering. The spotlight that followed them ever since they were spotted disappeared along with the one that was directed at Yang. The lights went back to normal and the music that was stopped before began to play once again.

"Ok, before any of you starts chanting 'Kiss. Kiss. Kiss,'" Yang said, trying to prevent something cliché from happening. "Keep in mind that they are sisters. So stick to your fantasies."

Ash looked around and noted that not only some were strangely disappointed, no one turned to look at Yang. Gathering some unknown courage, Ash gave his 'sister' a light peck on the cheek. This action turned Weiss red, and elicited probably the loudest cheer that Beacon had ever been graced with – or second to later with the ovation they'll give Team JNPR.

"Ok, never mind," Yang said, dumbfounded by what she had just witnessed. "For anyone who managed to get a picture of that, send it my way would you?"

"Already sent Yang," Velvet's usually small voice, managed to reach the brawler's ears despite the cheering.

"Nothing less from you Bunny Girl," Yang praised, giving the girl a thumb up.

Weiss and Ash went back to their seats in the midst of the chaos that Ash constructed. On their way, they received words of praise from people along with several invitations to dance, but were politely declined.

"Nice show you two," Sun praised as the two came in to view from the sea of people. "Would've been nice to take a picture, but I'm guessing that 'someone' is Ash?"

"Unfortunately so," Ash replied, noting the slightly concealed sense of wary from the male Faunus.

"You could almost say that Yang was slightly scared," Neptune commented, looking to where the brawler was, but disappeared soon after the music started playing again.

"There's more hate than fear I'm afraid," Weiss conveyed, with Blake nodding in agreement. "But he has bested Yang in a first-strike duel before."

"Hey, speaking of which, at what time is he supposed to be coming back tomorrow?" Blake asked, realizing their lack of knowledge on the matter. "Shouldn't we be there when he comes back?"

"We were only given the estimated day Blake," Ash lied, looking apologetic at Blake. "It could be early in the morning or late at night."

"He doesn't give you guys reports?" Blake continued to ask, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"He isn't allowed too much time on his scroll remember?" Weiss countered, successfully deflecting the question. Ash took her left hand in his, as a silent praise. "You can call him if you want."

"No thanks," Blake quickly dismissed, pushing any thought of taking her scroll out to contact Ash. "If it really does make his recovery faster, I'm not going to get in the way of that."

"I'm sure he appreciates that," Ash told her, tightening his hold on Weiss' hand slightly before letting go and standing up. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to get a drink."

"Hang on, I'm coming with you," Weiss said, standing up as well and retaking Ash's hand in hers. "I'm not leaving your side tonight."

The two of them left the group of three and went over to the table. Weiss grabbed a cup of punch, while Ash merely stuck with water from a pitcher. Ash brought the cup to his partially dry lips and took a sip. Only a few drops brushed against his tongue before he threw the cup to the ground, and wiping his lips of any of the liquid remaining. Several sets of eyes stared at him in shock, including Weiss.

"It's vodka," he announced, taking the pitcher in hand and throwing the liquor out a nearby window. He placed the pitcher back on the table, tipped over to ensure that not even the smell could escape. "Who brought liquor here?"

"It wasn't in the list we gave," Weiss told him, scowling at the pitcher. "Did someone sneak it in here?"

Luckily for them, they didn't have to wait long for the suspect or rather suspects to come clean, with cups of the liquid in their hands.

"Oh come on," Cardin complained, noticing the turned over pitcher. "We're practically adults now. One pitcher isn't gonna kill anyone. Besides, it's their choice to drink."

"I have never seen a more irresponsible person like you," Weiss told him with venom in her voice. "You're not going to get away with this."

"And what are you gonna do?" Sky Lark teased the heiress, obviously already feeling the effects of the liquor. "You gonna tell that butler of yours? Even if you do, he can't do anything. You don't have proof that we did it."

"Exactly," Russel Thrush agreed as he laughed along with his team. His breath and reddening eyes suggested that he was on his way to getting drunk as well. "Sure we may have brought the vodka, but it's just for some fun. Come on, this is pretty much the only time that we get to enjoy."

"Once this is over it's back to same old Beacon," Dove Bronzewing reminded everyone who were able to hear the argument. His eyes as well were on their way to being pale red. The only one who wasn't or didn't seem drunk yet was Cardin. "Boring classes, and the constant threat of the Grimm just around the corner. Let us have this."

"You heard them, _planner_ ," Cardin said, emphasizing the word 'planner' at Weiss. "You gonna be a stick in the mud? At least your sister doesn't seem to carry the same amount of the 'stuck up bitch' gene as you."

Team CRDL laughed, much to the annoyance of the people around them. Unfortunately, those people didn't want anything to do in the matter, and just ignored the four. Weiss was about to retaliate, but Ash held her back and shook his head.

"It's not worth it Weiss," he told her, before dragging her away to the other side of the room. They made it half way across the room before Team CRDL stopped them.

"Oh come on where are you girls going?" Cardin teased. Ash tried to push past him along with Weiss, but he pushed them away, knocking Weiss off balance. Ash tried to catch the heiress, but one of the drunken members of Team CRDL knocked him off balance as well, sending him to the floor as well.

The four guys laughed, catching the attention of pretty much everyone around them, including the remaining members of Team RWBY. Cardin bent down and reached for the back of Ash's dress and gave it a hard pull, to 'help the girl up.' The dress ripped from his tug and Ash fell to the ground once more.

"Oops," Cardin said, shrugging his shoulders with the piece of the dress in hand.

Ash had a skintight black undershirt on top of his bandages, thanking that he decided to wear one. He reached in to the satchel he brought and threw a light blue Dust crystal in to the air without anyone noticing.

"Close your eyes," he whispered to Weiss, who followed his request without fail. The second she closed her eyes; a bright light engulfed the room, blinding everyone in it. Ash moved as fast as he could, running towards one of the windows and grabbing something he stashed there earlier in the day.

He threw another light blue crystal in the air and grabbed Weiss by the waist, closing his eyes as the second crystal bathed the room in another blinding light. He and Weiss exited the room unnoticed, as everyone was temporarily blinded and the screams of slight pain and panic muffled the creak and the slam of the door.

Once the light vanished, many lunged towards team CRDL, for embarrassing the Schnee's like they did.

"STOP!" Yang yelled at the top of her lungs. The angry students stopped in their tracks and looked up, where Yang's voice came from.

"These guys need to be taught a lesson," one of the guys yelled, getting a dozen 'Yeah' from others.

"Not by any of you!" Yang yelled back, staring at the spot where the Schnee sisters once were. Everyone, including Team CRDL, turned to where she was looking. A cold chill ran down the spines of every person who knew what the sign meant.

At the spot where the sisters were was a rather familiar sword with the Atlas symbol in the middle of its guard. Half of it in the floor as an ominous red smoke seemed to coil around it before disappearing in the air. The ground around the sword was cracked.

Monday was right around the corner, and murmurs started to grow louder among the students population.

"We warned you guys three times," Yang announced, silencing everyone in the process.

* * *

After all that, Weiss and Ash found themselves on the same rooftop they were on before they went in to Vale in search for the White Fang. As Cardin took nearly all the fabric on the back, the front of Ash's dress was loosely hanging off his body. The black undershirt was clearly visible and now it was obvious that the person in the dress is male. It showed his toned body clearly as the shirt clung to him.

They had blocked the door with a chair they found on there on the rooftop to ensure that no one would be able to get out, and see their secret for the past few days. Both of them were simply staring out in to the city, the lights of the streets and buildings provided a nice view.

"I'm sorry about the dress Miss Schnee," Ash said in his normal voice. His eyes never left the horizon, even as Weiss looked at him. "Though I guess I should apologize that the dance was cut short for Ashley Schnee."

"It wasn't your fault," Weiss dismissed, returning her attention back to the horizon. "It was that damned Winchester's fault."

"You can go back you know," he reminded her, with a small, disappointed smile.

"Do you really want me to leave you alone?" Weiss asked, looking back at him, witnessing his small smile disappear. Ash didn't reply in words. Instead he looked back at her with a lonely expression and slid his hand over hers. Ash's warmth washed over and spread throughout her body like an electrical current.

"No," Ash finally responded. "I said I wasn't going to let anyone take you away from me, and I intend to keep that."

"Good, you remembered."

Weiss moved closer to the butler until her shoulder was against his, but Ash soon left that position and placed himself behind the heiress instead. He placed his hands on Weiss', and simply stayed like that for who knows how long.

They could still hear the music from the dance a small bit as it echoed and scattered throughout the night sky, but to them the dance was over. Rather short lived, but enjoyable nonetheless.

"Tonight was… fun," Ash admitted. Weiss turned her hands so that she could hold his hands. "Though it turned negative rather quickly because of Team CRDL."

"The night isn't over yet Ash," Weiss told him. Weiss craned her neck to look at the butler, finding him wearing a confused expression. "Ash Valentine has just returned, and what better way to celebrate that than having him fulfill the last order I gave him?"

Weiss let the boy's hands go and turned to face him, her back against the railing.

"I'm just going to stand here with my eyes closed," Weiss repeated, making the butler smile. "I'll open my eyes after a minute. Ash, it's your decision. Answer me with this."

"Only you can test my will like this you foolish heiress," Ash said repeated, playing along with the girl in front of him. "It took me forever to build a wall around my heart for cases like this, how dare you just appear to make it all crumble to dust."

Weiss closed her eyes and waited for the boy, lips parted slightly. Ash put his hands on the heiress' hip and pulled her closer. Now, Weiss disappearing because of her mind emptying isn't a possibility anymore. With their hearts beating fast and their breathing more erratic, he closed his eyes and kissed her. It was a small kiss, soft, unhurried… innocent.

Three seconds? Six years? Neither knew how long the kiss lasted, but when they parted, the other looked different. More vibrant in color? Skin lighter than before? They couldn't tell exactly what the difference was, but it was definitely a welcomed change.

Weiss pushed off the railing and planted her lips on Ash's once more, wrapping her arms around his neck. Ash pushed back, as some form of wanting took over him. This one could only be described as 'selfish.' It carried a feeling of want from the two.

They would part again, with hearts threatening to jump out of their chests. They opened their eyes and looked at each other with a foggy expression and a look in their eyes that screamed out 'I want more.'

Instead, they embraced each other, their heads on each other's shoulder, and hearts beating in sync with one another.

"Your heart's beating fast," Weiss told the boy, in between breaths of air.

"That's your heart Weiss," Ash countered, in between similar breaths. "Does that satisfy your order?"

"Not yet," Weiss said, feeling her face burn, not sure whether it's because she was out of breath or if she was blushing. "One more."

They lifted their heads and faced each other once more. Ash quickly leaned in, taking her lips with his own with a certain hunger. Weiss moaned in response, and felt her being melt. This was anything but innocent. It was sudden, rough… starved.

When Ash eventually pulled back, Weiss let her head fall down to the crook of her butler's neck, while Ash simply nuzzled his cheek to her hair; both panting frantically, trying get their lost breath back.

"Now I'm satisfied," Weiss said in between pants.

"Good," Ash replied, out of breath as well, trying to push back the hunger that took over him. "I might not be able to hold myself back if you had told me to continue."

Ash slid his chin off her and went for her shoulder. He turned his head to face her neck and bit in to it gently, forcing another moan from Weiss.

"Thank you Weiss," he whispered, his lips brushing against her skin. "That was the best first kiss I could've ever hope for."

"Actually… can you control yourself for a fourth?"


	13. To Hell With Simple Greetings

Everyone enjoyed the dance even after the event that Team CRDL created during it. They were immediately sent back to their dorm, with an awaiting punishment by Glynda Goodwitch. The blade stuck in the ground was left there, and was avoided like the plague throughout the night.

The day after, Beacon was… quiet. Nearly midday, the hall were empty, there were only a handful of people in the cafeteria, and a handful more walking outside. Ruby, Blake, and Yang were in their beds, simply just lying there with blank expressions. The three can assume that Weiss was in Ash's room with Ashley, ever since they disappeared after the incident with Team CRDL.

"So Jaune in a dress huh?" Yang said awkwardly, breaking the silence for a moment. She got a hum from both sister and partner as a response, sending them back in a period of silence.

"Can never be ready for everything," Ruby responded after minutes of staring at the cream ceiling. Once again, a hum from the two remaining members was the only response.

"Isn't Ash supposed to come today?" Blake changed the topic, hoping that the topic would completely rid the room of the mind breaking silence.

"His weapon couldn't have gotten there by itself," Yang said semi sarcastically, staring out the window in the direction of the ballroom. "And last I checked, that red smoke is his. I should know, I got hit by it before."

"Then why didn't he just 'hunt' the four of them?" Blake asked, turning her head so that she face was facing the direction of the ballroom as well. "He was planning on killing Cardin because of just one picture. So if it was him, why didn't he do anything else?"

"Maybe he wanted to scare them?" Ruby guessed, propping herself with her left arm to face both her teammates. "That could be it right?"

"It makes sense," Blake agreed, looking to the young leader. "But… I don't know; it just doesn't seem like Ash. After that first incident with Cardin, I figured him to be the type to _get rid_ of a problem faster than it shows up."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Yang confirmed, letting out a sigh. "But he puts Weiss first before anything. We can guess that it's the same for Ashley too. I'm just saying that he blinded us all for a reason."

"To hide Ashley?" Ruby guessed, thinking back to the previous night as best as she could. Yang sat up and gave her sister a nod. "Cardin did rip her dress."

"Should we go check on them?" Blake asked, sitting up as well, prepared to stand up. "They have to be awake right now."

"Let's go, we're not doing anything anyway," Yang said as she jumped down, landing steadily on her feet with a thump. "I'm feeling kinda guilty that we didn't last night."

"I told you we should've waited," Ruby said, getting down from her bed.

"The door was locked and when we knocked, they didn't answer," Yang defended immediately. "If they weren't already asleep, they weren't there. Did you want me to break the door again?"

"Besides Ruby," Blake chimed, dispiritedly staring out the window. "If Ash did come back last night, then he has to be with them right?"

"I'm still worried about them," Ruby admitted, her small getting smaller per word.

"Then let's go already," Yang complained, already headed out towards the door. Ruby and Blake followed her almost immediately.

Once the three of them gathered in front of Ash's room, Yang knocked three times on the door. They only waited a minute or two before the door opened, revealing Weiss' figure half hidden behind the door in her usual sleepwear. She wore a confused expression, simply staring at them as if they were the strangest things in the world.

Behind her Ruby, Blake and Yang are able to see a person on Ash's bed, but barely. Weiss looked back and noticed what they were looking at. Her eyes shot wide open and slammed the door close, locking it soon after. The three girls outside the room, stood there stunned by the out of character action by their teammate.

Weiss ran back to the bed and shook the person awake. As the person in the bed stirred, Weiss reached in to a nearby drawer and pulled out a long black wig. She shook the person again, not stopping until eyes opened and trained on her.

"Put on the wig," Weiss ordered in a whisper, almost panicked. "Our teammates are just outside the door."

Yang knocked on the door three times more, recovering from her stunned state. Weiss urged Ash to hurry by pulling him up, and slamming the wig on his head. Her hands scrambled around the wig, trying to fit it on the butler's head. However, Ash, still half asleep, couldn't understand what the heiress was trying to do.

"Ash put on the wig," Weiss ordered once more in a whisper, fearing the suspicion that her actions had surely instilled in her teammates. "Ash, you still need to be Ashley till later. Put the wig on please."

Ash, though still dazed, allowed the heiress to put the wig on him before his body hit the bed once more, going in to a light slumber. Weiss let out a sigh at her butler, having no choice but to at least be satisfied with the situation. She had told him that he was able to sleep in and it has been some time since he had gotten some proper sleep, but it was already nearing noon.

She realized another problem as her eyes scanned his entire body. In their time together in the room, Weiss learned a lot about Ash; one of them is that he doesn't sleep with a blanket. Ash's sleepwear doesn't really make him look like a girl either, so Weiss simply covered the boy much to his complaints, but he allowed it anyway.

Once Ash was decently hidden from the neck down, Weiss opened the door once again.

"I'm sorry about that," she apologized, noting the worried expression on their faces.

"And here I thought you liked us Ice Queen," Yang teased, crossing her arms just under her chest and shaking her head. "Why'd you slam the door?"

"I'm sorry everyone," Ashley's voice replied from behind Weiss. Ash didn't move, simply staying under the blanket with only his head peeking out from the top. "I'm still… afraid. My sister was simply being wary for my sake."

Ash sat up cautiously, keeping the blanket around his body to hide his obvious male clothing. The three girls entered the room and Weiss closed the door behind, nervous that their trickery will be exposed on its last few hours.

"Are you ok?" Ruby asked, worried about her new friend. Ash only nodded, faking a shy expression. "Listen, we're sorry that we couldn't stop Cardin last night. But at least Ash was there right?"

"It's quite alright Ruby," Ash replied, giving the fifteen year old an understanding smile. "Frankly I'm sick of apologies from Ash alone. He's been blaming himself for it ever since then."

"It wasn't his fault," Weiss said, narrowing her eyes at Ash in an attempt to tell him that she was serious. "Even if he couldn't prevent it, he was still pretty quick to act in response to it."

"Everyone there couldn't see anything," Yang answered, remembering the flash of lights from the previous night. "By the time the light was gone, you guys were already gone."

"Does this mean that we're going to have to have a mute Ash for the next few days?" Blake asked, reminding them of his usual self-punishment. Ash shook his head, closed his eyes and put his head down to hide a glare that developed on him.

"You may, but he will exact his revenge on the person first," Ash told them, hinting to Weiss about his plan against Team CRDL. "Or rather, in this case, persons. What happens afterwards is up to whomever he serves. Now that he is specifically my sister's butler, it will be up to her."

"What're you going to do Weiss?" Blake asked, turning to the heiress, who wore a stoic expression.

"If he ever decides to enact that self-punishment again, then we'll simply make him talk," she said seriously, hinting back to Ash about her decision. "I'm sure he'll never disobey me again."

"Saying 'never' like that kinda makes it seem final," Yang commented, the grin forming on Weiss unnerving the brawler a bit. "How are you so sure he won't disobey you again?"

"Just a feeling," Weiss replied, staring at Ash on the bed. The butler swallowed dryly, nodding his head, agreeing with the heiress.

"Speaking of which, where is he?" Ruby asked, looking around the room as the 'supposed missing person' was somehow hiding in some corner of the room. Her eyes landed on the bathroom door, listening for any sound cue that may indicate that he is in there.

"He's on a morning jog in the city," Ash lied; sinking deeper into the blanket till his nose touched the cloth. "He said he felt a little stiff after being bed ridden for a week."

"Well give him props for dedication to his training," Yang commented, looking out the window and at the city. "Wanting to be prepared for tomorrow huh?"

"One can assume," Ash replied, already used to referring to him as a different being, though pointless as it is the last few hours of his punishment. He tilted his head down a bit, thinking of tomorrow and his lack of training over the past few days to keep his punishment a secret.

"Maybe his body should stay stiff," Ruby said, teetering back and forth on her feet, staring at the ceiling, trying to feign innocence. She looked to her friends and found them staring at her for an explanation. She moved her eyes back to the ceiling before explaining. "I mean just so he doesn't get charged for murder."

"What makes you think Ash would do such a reprehensible thing?" Weiss asked, glaring at her team leader. She couldn't see it, but Ash looked away from them to avoid Weiss' eyes. "Yes, Team CRDL should be punished, but it doesn't mean that he'd kill them."

"Weiss think back," Blake urged her, crossing her arms just underneath her chest. "Remember when Cardin tried to blackmail him? He nearly killed Cardin in front of all us. That was just for one picture."

"But he didn't," Weiss argued back, glaring at Blake as well. "And he won't tomorrow. If there's even a little bit of animosity in Ash's actions during his challenge, then I'll stop him again."

"Then, we'll be counting on you to stop him dear sister," Ash replied, looking to her, hinting to her once more. She stared back at him with a critical expression, telling him to explain later.

"So you guys wanna get something to eat?" Yang asked, placing her hand on her stomach. Ruby and Blake did the same to their own stomachs.

All of them had slept in that day, their exhaustion leaving them not much of a choice anyway. Which unfortunately also meant that they skipped out on breakfast. None of them couldn't really complain, nor anyone else in Beacon.

Ash couldn't prevent a yawn from escaping him along with his eyes half closing. The actions attracted the girls' actions, all of them staring at the already half asleep Ash.

"Still tired princess?" Yang teased, noting the tears that started to form in the corner's of Ash's eyes due to his yawn.

"I'm not a…" Ash trailed off, his drowsy state of being already working against him, only able to come out of it in small intervals at a time. "I'm a b…"

Ash's head drooped down slightly and jerked his head up in a vain attempt to stay awake. Once more it drooped down, only for him to lift it up again. Weiss moved in and gently guided Ash to lie down once more.

"Go ahead and sleep Ashley," Weiss said softly, even though she fully doubted that Ash could even hear her anymore. She kissed his forehead, knowing that she could get away with both her teammates and the already unconscious Ash. "Have a pleasant dream."

"She has trouble waking up?" Ruby said in a quieter voice, in courtesy to her newest friend.

"I told her that she could sleep in today," Weiss explained, fixing the blanket so that it still covered Ash's body while keeping him as comfortable as possible. "She hasn't been able to get much sleep for the past few weeks. Last night was the worst of it. She only managed to sleep at 3 A.M."

"What were you guys doing for four hours?" Yang asked, wondering about the gap between the time they disappeared from the dance and the time Ash fell asleep.

Weiss blushed at the question, remembering what she had made Ash do last night. He declined her request for a fourth, fearing that he wouldn't be able to control himself further than the third. The rest of the night, they simply spoke of happy memories from their past and, for a small amount of time, she urged Ash to try and face his past once more.

He did as he was told and meditated. While he did so, Weiss tried to remember everything that she did when she was pushed into his subconscious. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to enter this time. She woke Ash up the very second a pained scream emanated from him. For the rest of the time, Ash told her about the things he tried to face, and about his failure to do so. However, this time, he felt less guilt when he faced the memories of his mother. All the time, he felt Weiss' presence with him as he moved through his memories.

Weiss fell asleep soon after that, but not before branding the events of that night in her mind. She in turn dreamt about the 'what if's' of Ash accepting her request for the fourth. It was only when her teammates knocked on the door that she woke up.

"We were just talking," Weiss answered the brawler, keeping her eyes trained on Ash and her face away from her team in an attempt to hide her blush, as well as trying to think of a story to draw suspicion away from her. "We were trying to figure out why it was she wasn't able to get a decent amount of sleep. That's the reason she was sent here in the first place. Kind of like a vacation if you would."

"I think you guys managed to figure it out," Ruby said, looking at the peaceful sleeping Ash. His breathing was slow and steady, with only a few strands of long black hair crossing his face.

"We didn't," Weiss replied before she was able to even think about it. She wanted to slap herself, for replying carelessly, dragging the conversation on. "That's why I'm letting her sleep for a bit longer. This is the first time that she managed to sleep this well."

"Well, we better not disturb her then," Yang proclaimed, already making her way towards the door. "Now let's go get some grub."

Blake let out a sigh before wordlessly following her partner. Ruby hesitated for a bit, turning to Weiss to see what she'll do.

"I don't want to leave her here alone," Weiss told Ruby when she caught her staring. "Just in case Cardin tries to pull something."

"I'll bring you guys something to eat," Ruby offered placing a hand on Weiss shoulder and showing her a friendly smile.

"Thank you Ruby," Weiss smiled at her teammate and sat down on Ash's bed, just watching him sleep. Ruby left the room and closed the door behind her, running to catch up to her sister and Blake.

Weiss let out a sigh once enough time passed to ensure that Ruby was gone before she got up to lock the door. She went back to Ash and sat down on the bed again. She smiled at him and tried her best to remove the wig without shaking him too much. Once done, she replaced the wig back on the tableside drawer that she got it from. Then she removed the blanket from him as well, allowing cool air to meet his skin once again. She'd have to put both back on him again soon, but at the very least, she'll allow him to continue his slumber as comfortable as she can manage.

Ash breathed in deep while asleep at the loss of the blanket and the wig, his head falling to the side Weiss was. She reached out and gently stroked his hair as if trying to remove the part of his bangs that covered his eyes, only for it to fall back down making her efforts futile.

An idea popped into her head, and she got up to find the thing that she needed. She searched the entire room and found a pair of scissors. She went back to the bed and placed the blanket he was using just underneath his head. She took the scissors and cut away at his hair little by little, trimming the edges. She had a little difficulty trimming the back, without waking the butler, but she managed somehow.

The cut pieces fell on the blanket, making it easy for her to collect them all and throw them away. She checked her work and smiled, completely satisfied. Ash's bangs only reached just over his eyes, and overall his hair was shorter.

"You're probably going to have to wash up a bit," she said out loud, going over her work once more, finding a few cut pieces still sticking to his hair and a few more clinging to his skin. "You needed a haircut anyway. You've also always looked better with hair like this."

Ash muttered something incomprehensible, before reaching up to scratch his cheek, brushing some small cut pieces of hair off. Weiss could almost laugh at the action and feel a little guilty for cutting his hair without his permission and more than likely making him itchy.

Weiss thought of another idea, this time to fix the mistake of her previous idea. She went into the bathroom and found a small towel. She soaked with warm water and squeezed all excess water from it. Once she was sure that it wouldn't drip water, she made her way back to Ash.

Using the damp towel, she wiped his face, clearing it of any pieces of hair. Next she moved on to his neck. He stirred slightly, forcing Weiss to stop. He settled down, only shifting a little, but nothing else other than that.

Weiss went back to the bathroom and cleaned the rag before damping it with warm water once again. She went back to Ash and wiped his scalp, trying to clean his hair of any tiny pieces. It was harder because she couldn't see them, but after a while she felt that she wouldn't be able clean it further by herself. Ash would have to take a shower to clean the rest.

Weiss went back to the bathroom once more and cleaned the rag, leaving it in there by the sink. She made her way back to Ash and sat on the bed by his side. She simply watched Ash sleep, counting the intervals between his breathes.

"I never thought I'd ever see you so defenseless," Weiss whispered, fully knowing that she'd be carrying a one sided conversation. "If you were so tired, why didn't you just say so?"

"I guess I should've known huh?" Weiss continued, as she watched Ash's eyes flutter, as he seemed to reenter REM sleep. "I know I can be unreasonable at times, but you never left me alone – not once. You ended up being the only one. I can never thank you enough."

"You haven't opened your birthday present have you?" Ash asked, a small smile playing at his lips. His eyes slowly opened to half way, and locked on to Weiss. "Go get it. I want to see your expression."

"That can wait till later Ash," she said, getting over her shock of the boy's wakening. "Go ahead and sleep."

"Only if you lie with me," Ash said, moving over to the opposite side of the bed, offering the other half to the heiress. Weiss blushed, but didn't hesitate to lie down in the open side.

Since the bed was only meant for one person, Weiss and Ash were more or less pressed too closely to each other. Ash closed his eyes once again and soon fell asleep once more. Weiss moved closer to him and closed her eyes as well, falling asleep along side her butler.

Half an hour later, Ash was woken up by a series of knocks on the door. His eyes opened to the sight of his mistress' sleeping face, already making this awakening better than any other time before. He slowly got up, careful not to wake her up. Ash put the wig back on his head and answered the door. Ruby stood on the other side with a cart of simple cafeteria meals.

"Hello Ruby," Ash greeted, a tired yawn escaping him. "It's so thoughtful of you to bring us food."

"No problem Ashley," Ruby replied, wheeling in cart. Ash moved out of the way and pulled out a couple chairs for them. He grabbed a single piece of toast before sitting down on one of the chairs, while Ruby sat on the other.

Ash quietly ate, trying to ignore the judging look of the cloaked girl. He swallowed once before giving up and finally acknowledging her.

"Is there anything I can help you with Ruby?" he asked, smiling at her awkwardly.

"I know I said this before," she started, leaning a bit forward as well as narrowing her eyes at Ash. "But you really do remind me of Ash. I mean, he eats bread first when everyone else goes for something else."

"But he told me that you've only seen him eat once," Ash countered, carefully studying Ruby to see if she was convinced. Ruby thought back for a second before letting out a defeated sigh with corresponding expression.

"Yeah, that's true," Ruby slumped back in her seat and took notice of her sleeping partner. "She was still tired huh?"

"I asked her to lie with me while I slept," Ash explained, a smile forming as the memory comes back to him. "I never expected her to fall asleep."

"Hey Ashley," Ruby called, curiosity filling her voice. "I wanted to ask you a question for a while now. Just what is Ash to you guys?"

"Can you clarify a bit more?" Ash asked, taken by surprise by the question.

"I mean, what do the Schnee's think of Ash?" Ruby replied, greatly narrowing the directions of her question. "In the time I've known him, Ash never even tried to treat us as if we're on even ground. It's like he thinks that he's lower than us. I just can't help but think he's been _looking up_ at us. I was wondering if—"

"You're wondering if the Schnee family has anything to do with that submissive behavior," Ash finished, a sad, nostalgic expression apparent on his face. He looked at the ground and recounted tidbits of his past without giving away too much. Ruby tried to deny the claim, but Ash cut her off. "It wouldn't be far from the truth if I say that it was mainly because of the Schnee's, but I doubt it's for the worse. Before he started working for the Schnee family, his life's been – for a lack of better terms – empty."

"What do you mean?" Ruby unconsciously asked, suddenly severely intrigued.

"He lived a life where the only thing that mattered was how he was going to survive until the next day," Ash replied, glad that he's able to get this burden off his chest – or at the very least, postpone it from crushing him – and that Weiss was unable to hear it. "Whether it lead him to steal food or gather newspapers in a vain attempt to shield him from the nipping cold of the night, he did it all to see the sun rise, just like any other Fa… person living on the streets."

"Someone left a kid on the streets?" Ruby asked, angry with Ash's parents and a bit sad as she was reminded of her own. "Couldn't you guys find out who his parents were?"

"It's not that simple Ruby," Ash confined to her, trying to figure out a way to explain without revealing too much. "Ash wasn't an Atlas citizen at the time. Or rather he wasn't a citizen of the four kingdoms. Wherever Ash was born, it wasn't inside any of the kingdoms. He didn't have any documents to his name whatsoever."

"So what does that mean?" Ruby asked more confused than before.

"It means that before his interaction with the Schnee family," Ash started, placing the toast he was eating on an empty plate to take his time talking to Ruby. "The kingdoms didn't even know he existed. Even now, the only documents that prove his existence are forged."

"So where was he before?" Ruby continued her questions. However, feeling that he might reveal something he really shouldn't, Ash tried to put an end to it.

"We really shouldn't discuss this any further," he told her, noting the disappointed and unsatisfied expression on the girl's face. "He hides those scars for a reason. Who's to say it's only a physical thing?"

"Bet he wouldn't hide from Weiss," Ruby muttered out loud, fully displaying her disapproval of the immediate stop the story she was being told.

"That may be Ruby," Ash tried to comfort her, picking up the toast he was eating before to continue. "But the relationship between them is different from ours. And even then I highly doubt she would force him to reveal all his scars before he's ready."

"So are they… you know… a thing?" Ruby asked, as innocently as she could manage.

"That's something only they can answer," Ash replied honestly, unsure of the answer himself. Both looked over to the sleeping heiress, with Ash trying to find the best possible outcome for the two. "But in the end, it's safe to say that Ash will put her first before the rest of the world."

"Kinda sounds like you're jealous," Ruby teased, a grin forming on her, but it quickly dissolved when she saw the expression on her companion's face. He had a look of longing and despair.

"On the contrary Ruby," he started, keeping his saddened eyes trained on Weiss. "I dread the things he'd do for my sister. One wrong move and both would suffer."

"Come on, it can't be that bad," Ruby tried brushing it off with her natural bright optimism, but she couldn't stop the negativity of the warning from getting to her.

"You know about Ash's 'mediation,' correct?" Ash asked, his heart beating fast of the confession he's about to make. Ruby nodded slowly, a part of her not wanting to hear whatever her friend was about to tell her. "What if I told you that it was once got to a point where he very nearly committed suicide?"

Ruby sat frozen in her seat, unable to even make a single sound. Ash turned his attention to her with a somber expression.

"It may not be apparent with him now, but a feeling like that simply can't disappear easily even with time," Ash told her, his empty left hand closing into a tight fist while trying to keep a calm expression. Ruby tried to ignore the fist closed tightly, but she couldn't help but look. "All he needs is a little push to get him back to that point. And for my sister I figure he'd be willing to continue past it. Let's not talk about this any longer. I don't want this to be the last thing I think about during my stay here."

"Ok, sorry for bringing it up," Ruby said sheepishly, staying quiet as Ash finished his toast before going back to the cart to grab a small plate of salad from it. He started eating it quietly, feeling slightly ashamed that he ended up dragging Ruby to a state of negativity.

Weiss simply lay in the bed with her eyes closed, pretending to be asleep still, contemplating what she had just heard Ash confess. She never thought of Ash as the type to contemplate taking his own life because of events of the past, but it hadn't been too long either that he delved into his subconsciousness to relive and try to get past them.

The thought of attending a funeral for him because of such an act sickened her and she desperately tried to remove the thoughts from her mind to no avail. Despite the events from last night, she didn't think of Ash romantically. But even then, the thought of not having him by her side anymore was a saddening one.

A few minutes later, Ruby left the room and returned to her team's dorm room after Ash had promised her that he would return the cart back to the kitchen himself. He gave her a few minutes to ensure that she wasn't merely outside the door listening in to remove the wig.

"You should eat Miss Schnee," Ash said in the seat, looking over to the white haired girl. She slowly got up, unable to face him or even form a response. "You've been awake for a while now, so you should be hungry by now."

"Did you mean all that?" Weiss asked, still unable to face her friend, but moved to eat anyway. Ash only hummed in confirmation. He let Weiss eat in silence, and only when she was done did they start to talk again.

"Yes I did Miss Schnee," Ash told her, his expression as serious as if the situation was life and death. "When I made my vow to you, I gave you my life. Should I fail you, you can discard me at any point in time."

"I thought I said you aren't expendable," Weiss said, her anger towards the statement giving her enough courage to face the butler. "If you fail, then you try again. It's as simple as that."

"Then are you willing to help me succeed?" Ash asked. Weiss nodded, determined to help in anyway he needed. "Then once Ashley Schnee has gone back to Atlas, will you spar with me like we'd always done before?"

"Don't expect the result to be the same as the other times," a prideful grin stretched across Weiss' face, forcing the butler to smile. "I've gotten better since last time."

"There's another difference Miss Schnee," Ash said, walking towards the large closed window in the middle of the back wall. He opened it wide, letting in the sun's rays and the outside air. He looked towards the direction of the ballroom with Weiss. "I wasn't wielding a weapon then."

"Don't get too cocky Ash," Weiss warned, putting away the empty plate back on the cart. "It also means that you haven't used a sword for a long time. You're so called _advantage_ doesn't exist."

"Then shall we put something on the line this time?" Ash asked, his grin growing larger into a baiting smile. Weiss, as the ever so prideful heiress, fell for it.

"Fine," she accepted, glaring at the smiling butler. "If I win, then you'll have to freely play me a violin piece."

"Then if I win," Ash trailed off, thinking carefully about the prize he wants. Weiss could only stare at him curiously, and then nervously when his usual grin turned mischievous. "If I win, then you have to go on a date with me."

"Alright," Weiss replied as calm and stoic as she could manage. "What day do you have in mind?"

"None as of now," Ash admitted, slightly disappointed with himself. "Just as long as I'm promised one, it's fine for now."

"You seem confident," Weiss remarked, playfully teasing the boy. "How are you so sure that you're going to win?"

"I guess we'll just have to see won't we?" Ash walked to the closet and pulled out a single white suitcase and his sword and bracer. He carefully put the weapon and armor inside and closed it tight.

He figured it would be suspicious if Ashley left without even a single suitcase, and as suspicious if she did leave with one, but weighed nothing. Granted, it would be even more suspicious if someone were to open the thing, only to find Ash's weapon inside instead of clothing. However, it was a risk that he had to take.

Ashley was supposed to leave in a couple hours, and as much as Weiss wanted this prank to continue, it has to end before anyone catches on. While Ash played the part well, there are instances when being caught almost cannot be helped; last night being the perfect example. A feeling of relief came over at the same time. When Ashley is gone, Ash would be back.

Weiss soon left the room and went back to the RWBY dorm room to shower, leaving Ash alone. After she left, he closed and locked the door and window, to prevent anyone from peering inside the room. He himself stepped into the shower, preparing himself for the day along with the following.

"I beg of you Miss Schnee," he muttered as droplets fell on him, the voice immediately getting swallowed up and taken away by the water. "Stop me before I lose myself once again."

He smiled when he heard Weiss say 'I will' in his head. He knew it was nothing but an illusion – only what he wished Weiss would say if he ever told her. Ash would soon exit the shower and don on a white dress courtesy of Weiss for – what he hoped – the final time. He grabbed the bag of dust he had the night before and put around his hip.

"It's me," Weiss called from the other side of the door. "Hurry up before anyone else shows up."

Ash opened the door, revealing the heiress staring at him wide eyed.

"You really do look like a girl," Weiss unconsciously admitted, taking in the sight of Ash in a dress. It was this one time that she had seen Ash in a dress that wasn't accompanied with the wig.

Ash quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her into the room, his blood already turning his cheeks slightly red. He slammed the door close and put his back against it in relief. Still holding the heiress, he turned her around to face him. She was quietly laughing to herself despite the angry look that her own butler was giving her.

"I'm only being honest Ash," Weiss teased, running her gaze up and down Ash's form.

The top half of the dress hugged the boy's torso well, and extended down to a slightly loose fitting skirt and flounce, nearly touching the floor. Ash bent down slightly and put his head on her shoulder like last night. He turned his head to face her neck. When Weiss felt his breath on her skin, she quickly pushed him away, his body slamming against the wooden door.

"No! Not again!" she yelled, glaring down the butler as he stared at her confused but proud of her for not falling for it again. "If you bite me again, it'll surely leave a mark this time."

"I'm a dragon Miss Schnee," he told her, licking his lips mischievously. "So you'll have to forgive me if I tend to be more… carnivorous from time to time."

A very thin layer of red smoke engulfed Ash's form. With the extra boost to speed, he captured the heiress just before she got to the door and held her despite her struggles and her orders for him to let her go. He dragged her close and held her back flush against his body. Weiss continued to struggle in vain as Ash started to meticulously lick her neck slowly, before gently kissing just under her jaw.

Weiss flushed as Ash continued to taste her. A shiver ran down her spine when four moist points made contact with her skin. Her neck tightened and flexed in instinct, awaiting the bite, but it never came. After a minute, her muscles loosened and Ash bit in. Weiss yelped in surprise, feeling Ash's fangs sink deeper into her skin.

"Ash stop!" Weiss whispered, not wanting to alert anyone from outside. Ash ignored her and kept his fangs sunk into her neck, as he slowly glided the tip of his tongue across whatever part of her skin he could. "Ash, please stop. Someone could walk in."

"Then is it alright to continue after I've locked it?" Ash asked, letting her neck free for the time being. Weiss didn't respond, realizing she'd trapped herself. Ash licked up to her jaw line before biting her neck once again, just below her pulse.

He could feel her pulse quicken as it beat against his upper lip. Holding such power against Weiss was still a foreign feeling to Ash. Prior to Weiss' departure for Beacon, he'd never done such a thing before, not daring to as it might hint to his infatuation with her. However, now was different. Now, she knew about it.

Ash continued to devour Weiss, only stopping once to give her a break and let her neck relax. He blew air on the spot he's been working on, eliciting a yelp from Weiss at the feeling of cold air against her moist skin. Ash left her alone for a minute, simply watching her breath with flushed cheeks.

"Shall I continue?" Ash asked, placing small kisses on his mistress' neck. Weiss made no notion of answering and after a minute, Ash opened his mouth wide with an audible hiss.

"Stop!" Weiss yelled, forcing Ash to freeze in his tracks, his teeth hovering just over Weiss' neck.

The door swung wide open, slamming against the wall. Weiss and Ash couldn't react as Velvet simply stared at them, weapon in hand, and ready to attack. Velvet lowered her weapon and relaxed slightly, recognizing that Weiss wasn't in the sort of danger she thought.

"Vampire…" she said out loud before collapsing.

"Well she's not that far off," Ash joked, releasing Weiss from his grip. He picked Velvet up and placed her on his bed. "Dragons and bats are both creatures of the sky."

"As I said, someone was going to walk in," Weiss told him, walking towards the bathroom to check her neck for any marks. "I hope you know you're not going to get away for this."

"I understand Weiss," Ash replied dejectedly, but a smile remained plastered to his face. "But it's wasn't like you didn't like it."

"I was telling you 'Stop' throughout that entire endeavor!" Weiss countered from the bathroom as Ash took out the wig from the drawer and put it on for what he hoped to be the last time. "I honestly have half a mind telling me to keep you as Ashley Schnee."

"Though to be fair, it was technically still _her_ that was feasting on your neck," Ash said, licking his lips as if some remnant of Weiss' taste was left on them. "Strawberry; fantastic choice of body lotion flavor."

"Ash!" Weiss yelled, bursting back into the room with flushed cheeks. She ran up to the butler and grabbed his collar, pulling on it to make sure he hears every single word. "Erase that from your mind. That. Is. An. Order."

"I understand," Ash said, sadly before licking the tip of Weiss' nose. The heiress reeled back in shock, simply watching Ash smile like a mad man. "There, now it's back in my mind."

"Ash Valentine, you will cease this childish behavior right now," Weiss scolded, letting the boy go so that she could take a safe step back from him. Ash simply got on one knee and put his head down in apology and acceptance of her order.

"I apologize Miss Schnee," he said, back to his usual stoic attitude. He stood up and headed to the bathroom to check if the wig was properly in place or not.

With the unconscious Velvet, Weiss was left in the room suffering the same guilty and unsatisfied feeling of having Ash refer to her as 'Miss Schnee' after he was calling her by her name just moments before.

It was great that she now knew more of Ash that she ever had before but it was now as if that didn't matter. A thought occurred to her, but was afraid of the possible outcomes. Ash entered the room, satisfied by his appearance.

"Ash," Weiss called out in a slightly somber tone. "Should I relieve you from your position as my butler, and only accompany me as a friend and nothing more, what would you do?"

"I would keep my promise to you," he replied with the same somber tone as her. "While I wouldn't mind simply just being by your side as a friend, there would be a void in my heart. I've always been your servant, so I really wouldn't know what I'd do afterwards. As I said before, my desire is to serve you."

"You can't intend to stay my butler forever," Weiss told him, her voice filled with disbelief.

"Do you not want me to serve you Miss Schnee?" Ash asked, looking at her with a blank expression.

"It's not that," Weiss quickly defended, barely able to think about her words before they materialized. "It's just that, I doubt butlers are supposed to attack their mistresses like you do."

"Then I'll simply stop," Ash replied. "It's been a rather amusing time, but my actions have been extremely out of the norm for mere servants. I hope you can forgive me."

"It's a matter of timing Ash" Weiss explained, the guilty feeling in her increasing in intensity. " _This_ is a new experience for the both of us, and it may all just be some mistake that our current mindsets simply can't process just yet. I'm not saying we forget it, just-."

"I understand Miss Schnee," Ash said bowing his head once more in apology. "I apologize again for my actions. Professor Ozpin asked me to see him before my supposed flight to exchange this scroll for my actual one, also now to explain my weapon's appearance in the ballroom last night. I would ask if you'd want to accompany me, but seeing as it would be impossible to leave Miss Scarlatina alone in this state, I'm afraid you have to stay with her to explain the situation."

"Very well," Weiss accepted, feeling guilty for a reason she didn't know. Ash exited the room and made his way to the headmaster's office.

* * *

Ash continued through the halls of Beacon almost aimlessly. He'd met several teams along the way who bid him a 'safe trip back home.' He greeted them with faked enthusiasm, with none of them not being able to tell the act. Eventually, Ash made it to the elevator to Ozpin's office and patiently waited for it.

"If it isn't the _special guest_ ," Cardin's voice echoed down the hall. Ash looked towards the direction and found the burly teen looking at him with a mixed smug and angry expression. Cardin started to walk up to Ash. "You know my team got in trouble because of you damned sisters last night."

Ash's anger towards the mace wielder only grew harder to contain as the distance between them lessened. In this scenario, Ashley Schnee would've ran away, but his anger kept him from doing so, and his moral mind kept him from attacking either.

"That would be because of the four of you," Ash retaliated, ensuring that Cardin could understand the spite directed towards him. "You couldn't handle your liquor and did stupid things. Blaming my sister and I for it simply proves your immaturity."

Cardin raised his hand into a fist and brought it across Ash's cheek. Blinded by his increasing anger, Ash couldn't dodge the blow. His head was forced to the side, as Cardin's smirk turned into one more sinister. Cardin quickly grabbed a large lock of the wig and started to pull on it. Fearing the secret would be exposed; Ash held the wig down and acted as if he was his real hair.

"Stop!" Ash yelled, hoping that someone would hear him and come running. Luckily for him, the amiable blonde of Team JNPR was nearby to hear his call.

"Hey!" Jaune immediately ran over to help. With the added audience, Cardin let the wig go and stepped away from Ash.

Before Jaune could get to them, Ash reached into the bag of dust on his side and pulled out a small red crystal. Jumping back, Ash tossed the crystal towards Cardin. It exploded in a fiery bright light, singeing the muscular teen's clothing and hair.

Cardin recoiled from the blast, and before he could recover from it, Ash threw another one just another Cardin's feet. Cardin was covered in fiery crimson once more. The blast knocked him off his feet and into the air. Once Cardin was on his back, Ash tossed another crystal just above him. For a third time, Cardin was engulfed in Dust fire.

Ash knew that the crystals will barely hurt Cardin with his Aura, and that the amount of crystals he brought with him is limited. As of now, Ash was left with one more Burn crystal, three Ice crystals, and one Flash crystal.

Jaune made his to Ash's side, and stood between him and Cardin, as the taller teen got up. Cardin looked to Ash with a fierce glare and charged at him, even if he had to go through Jaune along the way. Jaune stood his ground against the bully, though a bit uncomfortable with his chances of winning.

Ash reached inside his bag once more and pulled out the single pale blue crystal. He tossed it a foot in front of Jaune before taking hold of the blonde's right hand. When the crystal exploded in a bright light, he took off in the opposite direction, dragging Jaune along.

After a few minutes of nonstop running, Jaune and Ash managed to lose the bully. Ash let the blonde go and counted his remaining Dust crystals and formulating a plan, just in case.

"I'm sorry for involving you Jaune," Ash said, as he looked around for any sign of Cardin. "Thank you for coming to my aid."

"It doesn't seem like you needed it," Jaune admitted, laughing a bit as he scratched the back of his head. "You handled him with just crystals, you really are a Schnee."

"Don't sell yourself short now," Ash assured him, showing him the contents of the dust bag around his waist. "If you weren't there, I would've never been able to, as you say, _handle_ him with what I have. Therefore, thank you."

"Then you're welcome," Jaune replied, accepting the gratitude from the disguised butler. The two of them checked their surroundings once more before sitting on the ground, relaxed, once they determined they were clear. "So what did he want?"

"He blamed my sister and I for the rebuke he and his team received for their actions last night," Ash answered, feeling himself growing angrier at the memory, slightly cursing himself for not taking the chance to exact his revenge against Cardin earlier. "I should have done that last night instead of just earlier. The night may have been more enjoyable for my sister that way."

"Don't worry about it," Jaune reassured him, bringing out his scroll and waved it around. "I'll send you a video of Ash killing them tomorrow."

"As much as I appreciate the thought Jaune, Professor Goodwitch already allowed me to view the duel through her scroll," Ash lied, knowing that the scroll he has now would more than likely be deactivate after his supposed departure. Ash stood up carefully and looked around once more, when Cardin still wasn't in sight he let out a sigh. "If it isn't much trouble, may I ask you to escort me just outside the headmaster's office? We have some personal matters to attend to."

"I won't pry," Jaune told him, standing up as well. "Let's go?"

Together, they made their way back to the elevator without encountering Cardin once. Along the way, they talked about the night before, mainly about Jaune's famed moment. They entered the elevator and waited for the elevator to reach the top.

"That was rather brave of you," Ash commended, imagining the blonde in the dress he described with his entire team, taking over the dance floor and showing everyone how it's done. "But was that Jaune acting, or an Arc?"

"Is there a difference? I mean I am both," Jaune said, confused by the question.

"I guess not as of yet," Ash admitted, hoping that he would be doing the right thing. "Can I trust you Jaune?"

"Yeah, we're friends," Jaune replied confidently.

"If you say so Mister Arc," Ash said in his normal voice. Jaune's expression turned from confident to utterly confused. Ash removed his wig, and tried his best to unflatten his hair. "That's so much better."

"You're Ashley Schnee!?" Jaune asked, staring wide eyed at the person in front of him.

"No, I'm Ash Valentine," Ash placed the wig on his shoulder, still trying to fix his hair. "Ashley Schnee is just a punishment Miss Schnee created for worrying her."

"So then all this time you were…." Jaune started, though unable to complete his question as he tried to comprehend the revelation. He thought of the times they spent with Ashley, from the time _she_ was introduced to the event with Cardin last night. "We all thought you were a girl!"

"Yes, I know," Ash admitted with an amused expression. "There were times when even Miss Schnee thought the same despite knowing the truth."

"So then last night too!" Jaune yelled in realization, remembering two events: The _two_ Schnee's dancing and their incident with Team CRDL. "You could've taken Cardin and his friends last night! Why didn't you do anything?"

"And risk exposing myself to the entirety of Beacon?" Ash asked in rebuttal, giving the blonde a criticizing expression.

Jaune let out an exhausted sigh as he took out his scroll. He maneuvered through icons and turned it to Ash, showing a picture of Team JNPR together with Jaune in a dress.

"It's not as bad as you think," Jaune said with pride. It was Ash's turn to sigh, but in defeat. "And I don't think I can ever pull off a dress as good as you."

"This was merely for punishment," Ash explained, showing his displeasure wearing the dress. "Four days is as much as I can take."

"I don't know," Jaune said, his expression a little sad but happy as well. "Weiss really looked like she enjoys seeing you in a dress."

Being reminded of his mistress rendered Ash unable to talk, only try not to drown in his ocean of thoughts. Jaune kept listing out reasons why being Ashley Schnee may be beneficial from time to time, but to Ash it was all muffled – like he was on the opposite side of a wall. The elevator doors opened again and Ash walked out before Jaune could finish his rant.

Professor Ozpin was along in the spacious room, looking out the window with his coffee mug and can in his hands. He turned when he heard footsteps enter the room, surprised to see Ash without the wig on, and Jaune accompanying him.

"Gave up on trying to hide?" Ozpin said, slightly trying to tease the butler. Ash's stoic expression remained, not bothering to form an argument against the headmaster. "Your scroll is on the desk. Just leave the fake one there, Glynda and I'll delete its contents later."

Ash did as he was told without saying anything, but as Ash took his scroll back, Ozpin spoke up again.

"Jaune, would you kindly leave us? There are some things that Ash and I have to talk about."

Ash looked up at the headmaster with a confused expression; after all he only came for the scroll. Jaune agreed and left. The room was quiet until the elevator doors closed; it was only then that Ozpin spoke.

"Is there something the matter professor?" Ash asked, curious about the _things_ the older man wanted to speak to him about.

"That is something I should be asking," Ozpin replied, walking towards the table, and sat in his chair when he could. "You aren't a person to always wear his heart on his sleeve Ash, but it is obvious when you're trying to conceal it even more."

"I am simply distracted Ozpin," Ash replied, half lying, hoping that it would be enough as an answer.

"It's alright to tell me," Ozpin reassured him, but knew that it would never be easy. "But in the end, it's your choice. Maybe you'd be more comfortable telling Weiss."

"It'd be nothing but a nuisance to my mistress," Ash replied with hardly any emotion. He turned and started to walk towards the elevator, much to Ozpin's slight distress. "I'd rather continue to hide it than reveal it."

"Just don't lose yourself to it," the headmaster said, watching his student walk away with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

* * *

Two hours later Teams RWBY and JNPR were at the docking bays by the Cliffside, saying they're _farewells_ to Ashley Schnee. Weiss and Ash's acting were believable, however Jaune's acting leaves a lot to be desired. The blonde nearly called Ash by his real name several times and almost forgot to refer to him as _her._ When Weiss gave him a cold stare for the fifth time, he just waited at the back and stayed quiet.

Team JNPR stood back as Team RWBY finished up their goodbyes. The airship door was open, only waiting for its only passenger to board.

"Even though it was only four days it was enjoyable being with you all," Ash recited the rehearsed line in Ashley's voice, flashing the teams a smile before bowing slightly. He turned to Weiss and tried his best to give a lonely expression. "Take care sister. Please if there's anything I can help you with, don't hesitate to ask."

Weiss went up to him and embraced him as they had practiced earlier. The faked expression on Ash wavered for a moment, replaced by a genuinely lonesome expression. As Weiss pulled away, the faked expression returned.

"Give Father my greetings," Weiss recited her line, allowing Ash to push away and walk into the airship. With a final nod, Ash disappeared into the ship.

The eight teens on the docking bay all stood there and watched the airship fly towards Atlas and disappear beyond the horizon. Weiss relaxed a bit, knowing to expect Ash an hour later. Though she felt a little disappointed in Ash that he told Jaune the truth, with only him and Velvet knowing the truth outside the mistress, the servant and the two professors isn't bad at all.

Granted, trying to explain the situation to a panicked Velvet, who kept mumbling defenses against vampires, was a chore, and Weiss would've gladly chosen to go up against a sugar crazed Ruby or Nora. Velvet quickly understood once she managed to calm down enough to listen to Weiss' explanation.

"So what do we do now?" Ruby asked, feeling lonely now that her new friend had just left. "Do we just go back to how we usually spend our Sundays?"

"What else can we do?" Weiss countered, already walking away.

"Weiss, aren't you even a little sad?" Ruby asked, concerned about her partner's stoic behavior.

"Of course I am," Weiss lied, hoping that none of them know her tell like Ash. "It's just that there's nothing else to be done about it. I don't want to smother her by calling her now to check up on her. Besides, she made me promise to open the gift I got from Ash for my birthday."

"You haven't opened it yet?" Pyrrha asked, as both teams made their way back to the their respected dorm rooms. "It's been two weeks."

"And a lot's happened in those two weeks," Weiss countered, silently reminiscing everything that's happened. The rest of team RWBY exhaustedly hummed in agreement, causing their friends to wonder what they missed out on.

Team RWBY entered their dorm room with Weiss leading. Ruby, being the last one in, motioned her head to the members of Team JNPR, inviting them in for Weiss' gift unwrapping. Having nothing better to do, they went in as Weiss searched the drawers for the rectangular box.

Once she found it, she settled in on her bed with the gift, still wrapped, resting on her lap. The remaining seven gathered around her, Ruby, Blake and Yang kneeling down in front, allowing their friends to see the gift.

Weiss unwrapped the gift diligently, carefully not to damage the box, and possibly its content. Putting the wrap aside, she lifted the lid open, revealing the locket inside. The chain was silver and thin just like the necklace she was wearing now. The silver circular locket was no more than a quarter of an inch wide. It contained a small, spherical light blue gem in the center of both sides.

Weiss ignored the coos that most her friends were eliciting and opened the locket. On the left side, it held a cut out photograph of her sister, Winter, while the right held one of her father. Just under the photographs, another set of light blue stones was set.

Weiss' eyes panned to the box and spotted a small slip of paper folded and tucked on the side of the cushion the locket was on and the side of the box. She held the locket with one hand and reached for the paper with the other. She unfolded it and immediately recognized her sister's handwriting.

 _Dearest Weiss,_

 _I am deeply sorry I cannot be there for your birthday. I wished that we could've at least spent your seventeenth birthday together like always, but I promise to make it up to you next year. Ash probably won't tell you, but the reason he was assigned to assist me with my project was to earn enough to get you this. I offered to pay for it myself, but he insisted this year to be different._

 _He's special. I knew that from the time he fell asleep while I read Snow White to the two of you. There's no one in Remnant that can protect you better than him. In all honesty, I'm jealous. I've never seen anyone more devoted to anyone like he is to you. Father and I know that we can trust him with you._

 _Take care Weiss. Happy birthday._

 _Winter_

"What's the letter say?" Ruby asked, her face closer to Weiss' in excited curiosity. Weiss snapped out of her trance and looked to her leader.

"It's a letter from Winter wishing me a happy birthday," Weiss partially summarized, not wanting to add Ash's efforts in case Yang gets any ideas. Unfortunately Nora had other ideas. The hammer wielder snatched the letter from Weiss' hands and started to skim through it.

"Ash is a bit of the romantic isn't he?" Nora teased as Weiss tried to get the letter back.

"Nora give the letter back, its part of Weiss' gift," Jaune ordered, but Nora made no notion to `neither follow the order nor disobey it. "Nora, give it back or any and all pancakes will disappear for a week."

"You wouldn't dare," Nora threatened, narrowing her eyes at her leader. Jaune gave the glare back, already used to dealing with her.

"Are you willing to risk it?" Jaune threatened back. He had no intention of taking away Nora's precious pancakes, but he was going to use them as a threat either way. In a moment's notice, Nora handed Weiss back the letter and retreated to her childhood friend's side, defeated.

"Not bad Lady Killer," Yang praised, raising Jaune usual weak pride. Yang turned to Weiss and motioned to the locket. "Well what are you waiting for? Try it on."

Weiss unclasped the lock and put it around her neck. The chain was the same length as the one she already had on, making it so that the two pieces of jewelry were side by side just above her chest.

"Now that I think about it, I think I've seen that somewhere before," Ruby said out loud, trying to rack her brain to find the memory. It took her a few moments, but she finally remembered. "Oh yeah! Velvet was telling me about it. It's the one that has the twin. There's another one like it but its red instead of blue."

"The Aurora Emerald?" Velvet asked from the open door. Team RWBY and JNPR turned to the voice and found the rabbit Faunus and her leader, Coco, standing there just outside the door.

The two of them entered and joined their underclassmen, growing wide-eyed when they saw the locket around Weiss' neck.

"You got one of the sets?!" Coco asked, glaring at the locket in slight envy. Her excitement died down when she looked up at the owner. "I guess it's not a surprise that you've got one, considering your name."

Normally Weiss would've been offended by the statement, but Jaune managed to speak before her.

"Actually she got it as a gift," he explained, earning a glare from Coco. Jaune quickly tried to dismiss the glare by asking a question, in hopes that it'll allow him to escape. "What's so special about it anyway?"

"It's an emerald that can take on any color of Dust used on it," Velvet explained, her eyes never leaving the blue gem. "It has properties of emeralds and diamonds. They found two of them earlier in the year. One red, and one blue. We only found out that they were made into jewelry a month ago."

"Yeah," Coco joined in, calmer than she was before, though still glaring slightly at the locket. "And since those two deposits were the only ones found, those are supposed to be impossibly expensive. So, who is the rich family trying to force you into marriage?"

"Umm…" Ruby hummed awkwardly at the thought of two of her friends getting married. "The Valentine family?"

"Who?" Coco asked, utterly confused. "Never heard of them before."

"'Valentine,'" Velvet echoed, giving it some thought, the light bulb in her head very quickly turning on. "Ash!?"

When no one answered her, Velvet took out her camera and flipped through her photos, landing on one of Ash and Cardin facing each other down in the arena before their second match.

"This Ash?" she asked again, showing them the photo. Again no one answered her. "He's the one trying to marry you?"

"It's a birthday gift," Weiss finally answered. "Nothing more than that."

"You don't just buy someone that for a birthday," Coco tried to counter, but very quickly realized that she wouldn't mind someone giving her the same gift. She blinked once and realized something else. "Wait a minute… Ash… Your butler!? The one that left that little surprise last night?"

"You just realized that?" Velvet asked, stunned by her leader's unusually slow revelation.

"That's not important right now Velvet," Coco countered, before turning her attention back at the heiress. "How much are you guys paying him?"

"The sister Schnee said he was working for her to get extra lien," Nora explained, earning the attention of everyone but Weiss.

"Ok Velvet," Coco said calmly, gently grabbing her partner by her shoulders. "You are going to go for that butler. Then, he's gonna get us everything we want!"

"Coco!" Velvet complained, moving her eyes between her leader and Weiss.

"I'm just kidding Vel," Coco explained, turning to the two teams. "But we are going to skip out on class tomorrow to watch him fight. I don't think there's anyone in Beacon that's not gonna do the same."

"Why do you say that?" Weiss asked, looking up at the older girl.

"Because right now he's a threat," Coco explained before she and Velvet left the room.

"What did she mean by 'threat?'" Ruby asked, looking around at her friends for an answer. They tried to avoid her wanting eyes, not wanting to be the one to answer.

"Should he be allowed to enter the Vytal Festival, he'll be a difficult opponent to go against," Ren explained, the look on his friends' faces, including Nora, told him he was correct to assume. "No one but Weiss knows how he fights. But now that Ash is armed with more than just gloves, she's not even sure if she does anymore. Am I right?"

Weiss could only nod, but she doubted that Ash would be allowed to enter the festival; after all, he doesn't even have a team. She wasn't the only one that thinks so, just looking at her friends told her that much.

Team JNPR soon went back to their dorm, leaving the girls of Team RWBY alone in an awkward silence. They ended on debating whether or not Weiss should call Winter, if she has the twin of the locket she wore right now, but Weiss decided against it, fearing that she would be interrupting her work.

Now, all Weiss could do was stare at the photos in the locket, slowly taking in the fact that she didn't feel as alone as she did before. She didn't need to call Winter to know that she had the other half of the set, it was just something that Ash would do.

She found herself staring at the photo of her Father. A thought came to her, one that guiltily said that it was not his photo that belonged there. She felt guilty for even thinking so, but it was something she couldn't help but think. His absence in her life turned her into a cold individual, but Ash always reassured her that he was simply trying his best to make her and her sister happy.

Ash. Now that he appeared in her mind, she couldn't help but compare just how much he's done for her, and how much she's done for him. The list of the former was nearly endless, while the list of the latter could be counted with one hand. Before she came to Beacon and befriended Blake, she held nothing but spite towards the Faunus, and to think that she's had one as a companion ever since she was but a child. He's been the best friend she – anyone – could ask for. He's been her shield, her sword and she's thought of it nothing more than him just fulfilling his duty as her servant. And now, he's even given her a way to feel closer to her family, in the form of a rare jewel.

How much did it cost him? How long did he work just to get enough to afford it? How can she ever repay him? How can she even out the list? All these questions went unanswered, as she had none for any of them. She simply didn't know. Asking him directly will only lead to more questions that start with "Why" and those will be left unanswered too.

 _A simple greeting would suffice as a start,_ Ash's words echoed in her mind once again. His words echoed once more before she found herself drifting to sleep, gently holding the locket in between her fingertips.

Two hours later, she was woken up by a set of knocks on the their door. Ruby jumped down from her bed, and opened the door, revealing the person on the other side to be Ash, back in his formal suit. Ruby greeted and welcomed the butler excitedly along with her sister. Blake gave Ash a small smile and nod before going back into the book she was reading. Weiss got up with _simple greeting_ echoing in her mind.

She ran full speed towards the butler and wrapped her arms around him, her momentum being transferred to him, knocking him off balance. The two of them collide with the other side of the hallway wall, attracting the attention of Team JNPR. At that moment, another voice – her voice – appeared.

 _To hell with simple greetings._


	14. The Things He Still Has

Classes were starting once more, and the students were even less excited for them with the afterglow of the prom still radiating from most of them. There were a few teams however, who were less excited for different reasons.

The day before, after Ash had _returned from Atlas_ , Teams RWBY and JNPR were glad to have their friend back, but very quickly denied the idea of Weiss and Ash sparring – that day anyway. Weiss was fine with it, having no desire to follow through with it after opening his gift. Needless to say, she interrogated Ash about his idea of a _sufficient_ gift. Though they didn't get to spar, they did spend the rest of the day together.

Doctor Oobleck's class was first for the day, but Ash was the only student missing. Earlier that morning, Weiss had tried to wake Ash up when he was absent for breakfast, but he never answered the door and none of the calls she made afterwards went unanswered. Only much later, a few minutes before the class started, did he send her a message simply saying that he's out for a morning jog.

Now, the class was nearly over and Ash had yet to show up. Even the doctor took notice, seemingly less enthusiastic about his lecture with the absence, resulting in a rare occasion where the students are actually able to keep up with him.

"'A morning jog,'" Weiss read the message once more in a frustrated whisper, earning her friends' attentions as she kept whispering to herself. "Who goes for a morning jog for more than five hours, fully knowing they have classes to attend? And to only give me the simplest explanation hours after he started and after being called multiple times, does he want punishment?"

"Weiss is going crazy," Ruby commented, honestly convinced that the butler had broken her partner. The seven could only stare at Weiss in her seat, madly writing in her notebook, ways to punish her butler. "Is that what being an older sibling is like?"

"You have no idea," Yang, Jaune, and Ren all muttered in response.

Yang thought about the times she had difficulty, managing Ruby when they were kids, and the bruises that resulted in each failed attempt.

Jaune thought about his seven sisters. The times that his elder sisters forced him to dance with them to practice for their dates to dances, and he'd be the one wearing the dress. And the times that his younger sisters refused to give him respite despite playing with them for hours on end.

Ren thought and stared at Nora. Sure, they weren't related, but there are more times than not that he had to be the older brother between the two, or at least someone more responsible.

Weiss unconsciously reached for her new locket and gently held it in her right hand as she kept staring at her scroll, waiting for the off chance that it'll receive another message from her butler. She stopped writing as she finished writing a full page of punishments that she could use on him.

She got her wish when her scroll lit up with an image of an envelope on the screen. She quickly opened it and simply stared at the message, trying her best to keep her emotions in check. The message simply read _I plan to return before noon, but in the case I don't please ask Miss Goodwitch to postpone my duel against Team CRDL._

Weiss flipped the page of her notebook and wrote _Ashley Schnee_ on another page. She wanted nothing more than to just voice out her frustration towards Ash's childish behavior, but her rational side thought of it as a way to advance her goal of repaying Ash.

"Weiss are you ok?" Ruby finally asked her partner. Weiss turned to her with a glare, making the younger girl flinch. Weiss' expression softened as she realized her mistake.

"I'm sorry Ruby," she said, letting out a sigh towards her notebook.

"Is it Ash again?" Ruby asked, testing her suspicion.

"Who else could it be?" Yang asked behind her. Weiss pushed her scroll with Ash's messages open towards Ruby, who immediately peeked at it. She read the two messages over and over again before realizing why her partner may feel frustrated.

"He's gonna kill them," Ruby commented aloud. Yang leaned in closer to her sister and took a look at the scroll herself. She read the two messages as well, but found the matter trivial.

"So he's just out for a jog," Yang said freely, sitting back down on her seat. "There's nothing wrong with that."

Ruby looked to Weiss for permission for something, to which Weiss merely gave a nod. Ruby very quickly wrote a question in the scroll and sent it, making sure to let him know that it was from her. She didn't have to wait long for the reply, but it did make her question the butler's sanity again.

She turned the scroll to Weiss and even she questioned Ash's sanity afterwards. Weiss turned to her notebook once more and wrote down another set of punishments. While Weiss wrote, Ruby passed the scroll to her sister, where the rest of her friends can look at the scroll as well.

 _Hey Ash, this is Ruby. How long ago did you start?_

 _Around eight hours ago Miss Rose. Is there something you desire from the city?_

Yang took note of the current time, finding it to a quarter till ten. After a quick mental math, she figured the butler started his jog around two at night. Beacon didn't necessarily have a curfew, but no one she knew would be awake at the time – till now that is.

"Ok, so he's a little excessive," Pyrrha commented, still staring at the scroll in Yang's hand. She thought back to her training back at Mistral, but couldn't remember a time she went no more than three hours of training at one time. "Maybe he's feeling really stiff after being bed ridden for a week."

"I don't think that's an issue anymore," Yang said sarcastically, giving the scroll back to Ruby to give to Weiss. "Let's just hope that he's not too tired later."

"If _they_ even accept the challenge," Nora said spitefully serious, glaring at the team of sleeping bullies on the other side of the room. Ren put a hand on her shoulder, just in case she loses herself before her targets could make it to their next class.

"I don't think they have a choice," Jaune reassured his teammate, giving her a smile when she turned. "Remember what Coco said yesterday? Practically everyone in Beacon is gonna come and watch. It may be ok if it's just one on one, but it's a four on one."

"They lost to Pyrrha before," Nora countered, recounting previous classes.

"But everyone expected that of her," Ren explained to her, looking to Pyrrha and meeting her eyes for a brief second, silently apologizing as he knew that she didn't want her championship to be the main thing that defines her. "Ash is no one. Until two nights ago, no one knew who he was. Like I said yesterday, with the festival coming up, he's a possible threat."

"It's impossible for him to participate in the festival," Weiss reminded them, her eyes never leaving the notebook page she was filling with possible punishments. "Without a team, he can't even participate in the preliminary team battle."

Her friends thought about the fact as Weiss' scroll alerted her to another message from Ash.

 _I know that you must be worried Miss Schnee, for that I apologize. But this was something that I needed to do. I ignored my training for four days and I've felt a little off._

For some reason, the three simple sentences eased her mind even a little bit. Unconsciously she smiled, something that only Ruby, who glanced at her only for a brief second. Weiss ripped the two pages of notebook she was writing in and stuffed it in her pocket to throw away later, before sending a response to the butler.

 _Stay safe and hurry back._

"You sound like a wife," Nora commented behind her. Weiss turned to find Nora looking at her scroll over her shoulder. "You really like him don't you?"

"There's no way I'm doing this again," Weiss said, quickly hiding her scroll from everyone's view. The new locket around her neck seemed to increase in temperature, but she didn't mind it.

* * *

The day went on and as Miss Goodwitch's class drew closer, more and more people started to keep their eyes on Teams RWBY and JNPR. They knew the reason: They were looking for Ash.

Now it was noon and the students all have gathered in the cafeteria for lunch before their final classes for the day, and/or their investigation of Ash. Only, Ash had yet to return from his supposed _morning_ jog.

Weiss debated on calling the butler, but decided to trust him that he's simply running a little late. However, as the break started to near its end, she started to worry, not only for his promise but for his health as well. She trusted that he grabbed something to eat for breakfast in the city and hopefully something for lunch, but the last time he pushed his body to his limit he ended up getting sick. Even Pyrrha agreed that ten hours is dangerous to one's body, but the only reason why Weiss couldn't worry any further is that she didn't know if Ash being a dragon also meant that his vitality is different from anyone else.

As people started to clear out of the cafeteria, Ash finally enters through the avenue door with obvious markings of sweat on his black hoodie, while his gray sweats seemed to be safe from the same misfortune as the hoodie. Ash himself looked out of breath, almost desperately trying to catch his breath, with a half empty water bottle in his hand.

"Ash!" Yang was the first to notice the butler. Ash made his way to them, quickly finishing off the rest of the water in the bottle before getting to them. He sat at an empty seat at another table, placing the bottle on it, just to take it out of his hand.

"You look tired," Ruby said innocently, glancing at Jaune as he stood up to get another bottle of water for Ash. He couldn't respond, instead focused on regaining lost breath and steadying his heartbeat.

Jaune came back with the bottle of water and tossed it to Ash, who caught it and immediately ripped the cap off to consume another half of a water bottle. The two teams simply let him rest for a bit before they say anything. A minute or two passed before Ash's condition became somewhat controlled.

"Ten hours," Blake simply said, to which he simply smiled guiltily and nodded.

"Ash, you do know that's a danger to your body right?" Pyrrha asked him, receiving a nod from Ash as well. "And you still did so anyway."

"It'd be more disastrous if I continued to ignore my training," Ash replied in between small breaths of air. As soon as he finished the sentence, he consumed the other half of the water bottle and left it on the table top next to the first one. "This is simply a small price to pay."

"Want another one?" Jaune asked, standing up once more to grab another bottle for his friend.

"Yes, it'll be much appreciated Mister Arc," Ash responded, looking up the male blonde with a small smile as sweat continued to slowly gather and drip from his chin.

Jaune went away again, and Ash continued to try to ignore the exhaustion slowly taking him over. He stretched his limbs, earning him a few pops of tired bones and relief of stressed muscle. Soon Jaune came back with another bottle and once again tossed it to Ash.

"Well, just think about it like this. Later tonight, you're probably gonna get the best sleep you'll ever get in your life," Yang pointed out, trying to find a silver lining to the butler's exhaustion. "Just, you know, don't pass out on us right now."

"It's only ten hours Miss Xiao Long," Ash replied, taking small sips of the third bottled water.

"You know that's pretty much half a day right?" Blake asked, as she became the third member of Team RWBY to question his sanity. "People are usually only awake for sixteen hours."

"Then, I guess, I'll be able to – as Miss Xiao Long put it – pass out without any regrets," Ash laughed with whatever breath he had left.

"You're supposed to challenge Cardin and his team to a match within the hour you know," Weiss reminded him, looking at the time on her scroll. She looked up at her servant, worried about his condition.

"There may be a little difficulty with that, but I'm prepared either way," he reassured her as best he could with a smile. Ash finished the rest of the water from the bottle and stood up. "If you'd all excuse me, I need to shower and change before the class starts."

With a small bow to the group, Ash grabbed the three bottles he'd downed and disposed of them in a recycling bin before he headed for his room. Weiss could only watch him walk away, all the while contemplating on going after him.

"Go ahead and go after him," Ren said to the heiress, earning her attention, while attracting everyone else's attention towards her. "You're becoming easy to predict."

"Ever since Ash came," Jaune added, earning a hum from everyone but Weiss and Blake.

"That's not entirely true," Blake countered, propping her head up with one hand, elbow on the desk. "To be more precise, it's ever since her birthday. She was as predictable hours before Ash introduced himself to us."

"Just him being here is doing something to you," Pyrrha concluded, staring intently at the heiress before turning to the direction of the dorms. "But it doesn't seem like you mind it at all. Not like you would have before."

"I'm simply content that I have him by my side again," Weiss answered, trying her best to hold a conversation with Pyrrha with the rest of their friends pestering Blake for more information on what she meant. "After spending nearly my entire life with him, he's become part of my family. No matter what anyone says, or what happens in the future, he'll always be family."

"You don't sound convinced of that yourself," Pyrrha replied, motioning to another table so that they could continue their conversation in peace, leaving the cat Faunus to regret her decision.

They stood up without gaining much attention from their friends and sat at the motioned table, opposite of each other.

"Is that really all that you think of him Weiss?" Pyrrha continued, acting like the voice of reason for her friend. Weiss opened her mouth slightly to answer but couldn't form a sort of reply, so Pyrrha continued. "Being family is fine, but you really should try and figure out exactly what he means to you."

"He's my friend Pyrrha," Weiss said confidently, despite a pang of guilt squeezing her chest for a brief second. "It's been like that for all these years. Almost like the feeling you get when you're around Jaune."

"If it really is the same feeling, then you've only been lying to yourself," Pyrrha replied, looking towards her oblivious leader and friend. "He's in love with you, we all know that – especially you."

Weiss couldn't form an answer, and for a minute, only silence was between them. It was Pyrrha that broke the silence, finishing her argument.

"By the way you can't respond tells me that I'm right," she challenged. Weiss could only nod once to confirm Pyrrha's assumption. Images of Ash's actions that prove her assumption flashed in Weiss' mind, from him kissing her scar to her requests at the night of the prom. "You know you're just using your long time friendship with him as an escape. What'll you do now?"

"For now, repay him for all he's done," Weiss answered, causing Pyrrha to shake her head at her.

"We both know that's not possible," Pyrrha countered, crossing her arms across her chest. "Tell me, Weiss. Do you even remotely hold any romantic feelings for him?"

"I can't," Weiss replied, confusing Pyrrha a little. Before Pyrrha could ask her to clarify, she continued. "I can't hold such a thing for him. If I do, I won't be able to relieve him from his position in the future."

"What do you mean?"

"I've always planned to relieve him after I become a full fledged Huntress," Weiss answered, remembering days when she told Winter her plan. "He's sacrificed too much for my family and I already. I don't remember when it started, but I've started to see him as a bird locked in a cage."

"Didn't he say he'll stay with you even if he's not your servant anymore?" Pyrrha reminded her. "There'd be no point if you relieve him or not."

"That complicates things, yes," Weiss agreed. She took a deep breath to gather her courage and try to ignore the painfully growing feeling of guilt building up inside her. "That's why I want to keep ignoring his infatuation with me, so that when the time comes he'll be able to live his life free of his duty and promise to me."

"How is that _repaying_ him?" Pyrrha criticized, only able to view the girl uncertain girl in front of her as a coward. "That coercion is the complete opposite of what you said your goal is."

"I'm freeing him Pyrrha," Weiss said, fighting her and the feeling of guilt in her chest.

"Ask him," Pyrrha demanded, standing up to go back to the other table, unable to contain her slight spite towards the heiress as of now. "Ask him if he wants to be _free_. Make sure that he answers you truthfully and not that _Whatever you say Miss Schnee_ bullshit."

Pyrrha left Weiss alone at the table and went back to their friends who barely noticed her return. Weiss debated on either going back to the table like Pyrrha or chasing after Ash even though he'll probably be taking a shower by the time she gets there. She looked over to her friends and found Pyrrha staring at her intently. That was all the convincing she needed to choose the latter.

Weiss knew what spite was; after all she's dealt with it throughout her life. But when she saw it again on Pyrrha, she couldn't tell her that she's already asked him the day before. Though, a thought did dawn on her: was what he said yesterday, a – as Pyrrha put it – _Whatever you say Miss Schnee_ bullshit? She had to know. And if it was, what he's actual answer is.

She stood outside of Ash's door, pressing her ear against the door slightly, barely able to hear the sound of water falling from the showerhead. She waited for the butler to finish before knocking on the door.

"Ash, it's me," she called, stepping back a few steps to let the butler open the door. Within a minute, Ash opened the door, looking tired, still slightly damp from his shower, and wearing only blue jeans. His chest lays bare in front of her, with the scars he received from the Beowolves he fought during Professor Port's class.

"Is there something I can help you with Miss Schnee?" he asked, stepping to the side to let his mistress in, closing and locking the door behind her.

The second bed that she used to sleep in was gone, leaving Ash's lone bed in the middle of the room. His fresh clothes were laid out on it along with fresh gauze still rolled up. She made her way to the bed and picked up the gauze.

"I'll help you with this," she simply said, motioning Ash to sit in the bed to let her work. There was a moment of silence as the heiress wrapped his chest and wings with the gauze, taking a moment to inspect his sacrifice before she covered them as well.

Ash thanked her and started to dress. In a matter of a few minutes, Ash was fully dressed in front of her. Instead of his usual formal suit, he instead wore a sleeveless black shirt with the blue jeans he was wearing. Instead of dress shoes, he instead wore black sneakers, a fresh look from his usual formal look.

"Ash, I planned to relieve you once we graduate," Weiss confessed, watching for a change in the butler's expression. When he showed no emotion, she relaxed even if a little.

"I kind of guessed as much," Ash professed, taking a seat on the chair of a study desk opposite of the heiress. "Or maybe I should say, I've known for quite a while now."

"Winter," she guessed, feeling a little betrayed that her sister might have told him her plan.

"No Miss Schnee," he reassured her, adjusting his position on the chair for more comfort. "You aren't the most discreet person when it comes to me. Up until yesterday when you asked me about this, I was only able to assume. Allow me to ask you again: Do you not want me to serve you?"

"How about y—" Weiss began to ask flustered, wanting to buy time for her to come up with a proper answer, but was very quickly interrupted by Ash.

"I do wish to serve you Miss Schnee. If you're simply going to bring up what I feel about you as a simple excuse then I beg of you to order me to forget it," Ash said sharply, gritting his teeth in an attempt to keep his emotion in check. Weiss recoiled at the tone, and Ash quickly realized what he'd done. "I apologize Miss Schnee. I must be more tired than I thought to let my emotions come over me."

"It's alri—" Weiss started, only to be interrupted by Ash once more.

"However, tired or not, I meant what I said about you ordering me," he said, staring at her intently, wanting to convey that he was serious; a message that was delivered successfully. "It's as you said, it may all be just some mistake that our – my – current mindset can't process as of yet."

Weiss couldn't say anything, and simply sat there with Ash for a few more minutes before it was time to go to Professor Goodwitch's class. Ash asked Weiss to go ahead of him, a request that she was willing to grant. Once she left the room, Ash waited a few minutes to let her get some distance before he let out a cry of frustration, completely unaware that the heiress hadn't left after all.

* * *

Weiss met up with her friends in class, taking her time to look around as the room was significantly more filled with students than usual. Even the young professor was slightly overwhelmed with the amount of students that aren't really her students.

"I understand that Professor Ozpin has excused you all this time, but please settle down," she tried to calm the students but only maintained little order as her voice was lost in the cacophony of voices.

Next to her was Team CRDL, ready for their match with Ash, with Cardin staring daggers at the door, as if daring it to come for him. The rest of his team, looked worriedly at Cardin then to the door, unsure of what they could do.

The members of Team CFVY joined Teams RWBY and JNPR, greeting them with the exception of Coco who was furiously looking around for the butler.

"He's the guest of honor, so why is he late?" she asked out loud, mainly directing it towards Weiss.

"He just came back from a jog," the heiress answered dejectedly. "I don't think I'd blame him if he's just sleeping in his room."

"'A jog?'" Coco echoed, slightly angry. "What kind of excuse is that?"

"He started at two in the morning," Weiss further explained, successfully silencing the stylish upperclassmen. "If he's not in his room, then he's on his way here with his blade."

"That thing's too heavy to be normal," Yatsuhashi commented, remembering a time during the prom that he tried to pull the blade out of the ground but in the end left it there, after noting its weight. "Is there something we should know?"

"It's special. He said it's made from a heavier material than the usual metal," Yang told them, looking at the door for the butler to finally appear. In a matter of a few minutes, Ash entered the room with the sheathed blade across his back, metal brace on his left forearm and his pair of metal gloves, but a tired look was apparent on him. "There he is. Still doesn't look like he's recovered."

"How could he?" Weiss asked her critically. "It's been less than an hour."

Ash walked towards Miss Goodwitch and spoke to her, their conversation mostly inaudible to his friends. They were only able to catch a few words, the first part being obviously an apology for his tardiness, while the second was a mystery, something about a change in the usual rules.

The professor exited the arena and allowed Ash to take his place on the opposite side of the opposing team. Cardin was angrily glaring at Ash, as Russel, Dove, and Sky spread themselves as to not to bump into each other when they inevitably follow Cardin in his charge.

Ash simply drew his blade, kept it pointed down at his side. He took a defensive stance by taking one step forward with his left foot, putting his sword behind him, and raised his armored left arm.

The students took their seats, or stood wherever they could to view the oncoming match. The monitor lit up and displayed the five combatants' Aura levels. Team CRDL's Aura levels were the first to appear, with Ash's following. All would've been normal, if it weren't for Ash's Aura level reading thirty instead of the usual hundred.

Before anyone could start asking questions, Glynda raised her voice.

"As you all can see Mister Valentine's Aura level isn't full," she said, addressing the elephant in the room, glaring at the butler who paid her no heed. "Therefore, in an attempt to make this as fair as possible, Team CRDL is required to completely deplete Mister Valentine's Aura."

"Miss Goodwitch!" Weiss immediately stood up, still staring in shock at the monitor, hoping in vain that it was simply broken. "If it's like this, then at least let me be Ash's partner."

"This is something that Mister Valentine himself requested Miss Schnee," the blonde professor told her, unable to meet her eyes, ashamed that she let herself be persuaded by the butler. She let Weiss sit down defeated and made her to Weiss' side, before turning to the five guys in the arena. "The rest of the rules are still in play. Knock your opponent out of the boundary or decrease their Aura level below critical with the exception of Mister Valentine. If none of you have any questions, then you may begin."

At those words, Cardin immediately charged forward with his teammates following somewhat closely behind him, as if the three of them were trying to hide behind their team leader's larger form. Ash stood still for a moment, simply analyzing the four in front of him.

A thin veil of smoke gathered around Ash's legs before the butler seemingly disappeared, only leaving dark red smoke in his place. Dove Bronzewing was unable to do a thing when Ash's knee suddenly slammed against his nose, knocking him on his back a few feet away, decreasing his Aura level by twenty. Sky Lark turned in response but couldn't attack as his weapon proved to be too long to do anything. Ash twisted his body mimicking a lying position and kicked Russel away before the dagger wielder could attack.

Cardin looked back and planted his feet to the ground in an attempt to stop. As Dove was picking himself off the ground, Ash grabbed Sky's halberd just below the blade and used it to propel himself to the ground before pulling on the weapon to send its wielder into his dual wielding teammate. Cardin charged towards Ash once more like a mad bull. He reeled his mace back and swung the titanium mace down at him. Ash activated his semblance again and focused it on his legs only for a moment. Jumping back towards Dove, Ash managed to avoid the mace as well as grant him distance from the majority of the opposing team.

Realizing it might be an opportunity Dove rose up and held the butler, trapping his arms behind his back to allow his teammates to land some blows on the butler, hopefully enough to end the match. Smirking at the opportunity that Dove created for him, Cardin ran once more. Ash reeled his head forwards and forced it back, hitting Dove's nose, forcing him to release his grip. Quickly getting around his dazed opponent, Ash kicked Dove forward in Cardin's way. Frustrated that the butler got away, Cardin swung his mace to the side, hitting Dove out of the way, earning him angry gazes from the students of Beacon. Dove's Aura level quickly decreased another fifteen percent.

While their teammates had Ash's attention, Russel and Sky went around Cardin, hoping to flank Ash and catch him by surprise. Finding an opening after his teammate was kicked, Russel ran towards Ash as fast as he could and got to him before Cardin could. Russel sliced and stabbed, anything he could in an attempt to land a hit on the butler, but the rushed attacks heavily telegraphed his movements. Ash dodged half of them and blocked the rest with either his bracer or his sword. Out of the corner of his eye, Russel saw Cardin barreling towards them with no reason to stop and coordinate with him for an attack, so he did the smart thing to do: jump away and let Cardin take the blow.

However, as his feet left the ground, Ash grabbed him by his shirt and threw him at Cardin. The bigger teen, once more swung at his teammate to allow him through, decreasing Russel's Aura level by fifteen percent.

Cardin swung his mace at Ash horizontally and in various angles, and Ash met each blow with his blade, frustrating the bully even more. Sky came in from behind Ash, ready to attack, hoping that Cardin would get the idea. Luckily for him, Cardin did.

Cardin looked behind Ash and saw his teammate poised to strike at the butler, but it was a movement that Ash managed to see. While Cardin was briefly distracted by Sky, Ash stepped to the side and kicked the bully towards his awaiting teammate, sending the two of them to the ground. Unfortunately, their Aura levels barely decreased, only dropping a single percentage.

"He's just using them against each other," Velvet commented, looking through the lens of her precious camera for a moment to capture Ash's fighting style. "He only really attacked once, but look at the monitor now."

The monitor showed Cardin and Sky's Aura still pretty much complete at ninety-nine, Russel's Aura was at eighty-five, and Dove's Aura stood at seventy percent. Ash's stood at the lowest, still at thirty.

"Yeah, and with his semblance, he could've done more," Jaune added, staring intensely at the match, trying to learn something he could use. "One of them could've been eliminated already."

"What's his semblance?" Coco asked, taking her eyes away from the combatants.

"It's that red smoke," Yang explained, feeling that she had the right to answer as she'd been on the receiving end of it before. "As far as we know, it just increases his overall speed and power."

"That's rather plain," Coco replied disappointedly. Yang turned to her with a serious expression.

"Maybe, but it just depends on how much he gives it in return," Yang challenged, unknowingly sounding cryptic to the members of the senior team. "We fought once and he got way stronger than me."

"Shocking, but still plain," Coco said, still slightly unimpressed.

The monitor now showed that Cardin's Aura level remained at ninety-nine, while Sky's Aura level decreased to seventy-five due to one hit from Cardin and several small slashes from Ash. Russel's Aura decreased to fifty after an attempt to sneak attack Ash once again, only to be countered by the butler with two vertical slices across his body. Dove faired the worst, now at thirty-five after being thrown into his teammates' attacks several times and one heavy slash from shoulder to shoulder from Ash's sword. Ash, on the other hand, remained at thirty percent.

Ash stood in the middle of the arena, while Team CRDL stood at opposite ends, surrounding him. Sky and Dove were the first to attack. Dove took aim and fired six shots from his sword in an attempt to keep him distracted while his halberd-wielding teammate attacked from a blind spot. Ash sliced the six bullets out of the air, but was too slow too notice Sky's attack. The halberd's blade ran across Ash's back, with his Aura being the only reason for his safety.

Though hurt, Ash spun and activated his semblance again, this time concentrated on his left arm, and thrust it forward striking Sky's diaphragm, decreasing his Aura to fifty as well as knocking all the air out of his lungs and preventing him from breathing correctly for the time being.

With his teammate's plan leading to their first success, though at a cost, Dove rushed in along with Cardin. Dove got to Ash first, but was unable to attack, as Ash turned to counter whatever it was he had planned.

Cardin jumped into the air and raised his mace high. He swung the mace down, using some of the Dust he had available to not only propel his attack, but to deal more damage to his target as well. Ash swung at Dove sluggishly, knowing that the boy would dodge, and when he did, Ash spun and brought his heel to Dove's temple, putting him in the way of Cardin's attack. Ash jumped away as Cardin's Dust enhanced attack depleted Dove of the rest of his Aura and sent the boy out of the boundary, completely unconscious.

Cardin muttered 'useless' under his breath as he took a stance as to not get caught off guard.

Russel charged forward again, but couldn't make it far from his position when Ash decided to charge towards him as well. Loosening his grip on his sword, Ash turned the sword 180 degrees and held it like a dagger, like he'd done when he dueled Yang. Ducking a little, Ash brought his right fist crashing towards Russel's diaphragm, activating his semblance for the brief second of impact, causing the boy to lurch over as he desperately searched for air. Righting himself upright, Ash lifted his right foot and brought his heel down on the back of Russel's head like an executioner's axe, activating his semblance at the point of impact again.

Russel's Aura quickly depleted and the boy was rendered unconscious by the blow to the head and the impact of his head on the floor, enough to cause a crater. Ash stepped away from him and Glynda used her semblance to move the unconscious boy out of the arena.

"I don't get it," Velvet said out loud, putting down her camera. "If you guys say that his semblance can make him stronger than Yang, why won't he just keep it activated? It'd make things so much easier."

Weiss thought about the question, before realizing the answer almost immediately.

"Because it needs a sacrifice," she answered, earning Team CFVY's attention. "Ash's semblance is special in that he can use either his Aura or the reserve energy in his body as a fuel. But right now, he's running on as little energy as possible, and with only such a minimal amount of Aura, how could he risk using his Aura?"

"You're missing the bigger picture," Ren commented, looking at the monitor. "He's saving it for a different reason."

They all looked at the monitor confused, unable to see what he meant. Russel and Dove have been eliminated. Sky still had fifty percent of his maximum Aura, and Cardin basically still had his entire Aura.

Weiss realized it after she watched Sky's Aura decrease even further to forty.

"He's aiming for Cardin," she announced out loud, receiving a nod from Ren. In a matter of seconds, Sky Lark had an X across his picture, while maintaining seven percent of his Aura, though like Russel and Dove, rendered unconscious.

They turned their attention back to the match, with Cardin and Ash the only ones left. Cardin was glaring intensely at Ash, while Ash's expression couldn't be as easily read.

"So what you guys are saying is that now we're going to see what that semblance really is," Coco guessed, not needing so much as a nod to know that she was right. Velvet got her camera ready to capture moments of the fight.

Before Cardin could attack, Ash sheathed his sword, causing some questions in the students and the professor. He removed the sheath from his back and tossed it aside.

"Mister Valentine, may I ask what it is you're doing?" Glynda asked, noting the crack that the sheer weight of the weapon caused when it hit the floor.

"I'm now taking this seriously," Ash simply answered, as he started to remove the bracer off his arm, then his gloves followed. Weiss couldn't help but stare at the scars on his hands, remembering exactly how he received them. It was when they started to bleed that she almost looked away.

"Ok, that's not supposed to happen with Aura," Coco said blatantly.

Ash rushed towards Cardin, as Cardin did the same.

Cardin swung his mace down at the butler, only to hit the ground as Ash jumped to the side. Helpless with his weapon on the ground, Cardin took a blow to the chin, though only a tiny portion of his Aura was depleted from the attack. Cardin dragged his weapon from the floor to his opponent, heavily telegraphing his intent. Ash kicked the weapon away and once more hit Cardin's chin with a hook, before kicking the mace wielder away.

Cardin quickly recovered from the attack, and faced Ash again. Recklessly, he charged again, hell bent on smashing his mace down on Ash. Using whatever Dust he had left, Cardin brought the weapon down on the butler. Once more, Ash jumped to the side dodging both the attack and the explosion of Dust that followed it. Before Cardin could recover from his missed attack, Ash rushed in, grabbed the hilt of the mace loosely and spun, using the momentum to kick Cardin's chest, gripping the mace tightly before the point of impact. Cardin was forced back, his weapon now held by Ash.

Ash threw the weapon away, outside of the arena, forcing Cardin to engage him in hand-to-hand combat. Frustrated that he feels like he was simply being toyed with, Cardin accepted the challenge and, with a roar, attacked.

Cardin's inexperience with hand to hand in comparison to Ash was immediately evident. Cardin's heavily telegraphed power attacks, proved easy for Ash to dodge and deflect. On the other hand, Ash's smaller jabs and hooks to the chin were easy to connect as most of them came after Ash had deflected a blow from Cardin. Soon Cardin's Aura was decreased to seventy, and it was only when he felt his knees buckle, did he remember what happened the first time he went up against Ash.

Ash stood no more than five feet from him, unmoving. Cardin tried to calm down even a small bit, as to not charge in again to simply receive another blow to the chin. He simply breathed and abided time for his body to revert back to its usual state. However, Ash wouldn't wait for long.

Ash's form was enveloped in red smoke when he charged towards Cardin. Caught off guard, Cardin took the blow to his cheek, decreasing his Aura by twenty. However, without reserve energy as a back up, Ash's Aura decreased slightly as a payment for his semblance.

Ash jumped up and forced Cardin's larger body to the air with a single blow to the chin. Once Ash landed, he grabbed Cardin by the foot and slammed his body to the floor, causing pieces of the floor to fly in every direction. Cardin's Aura level decreased by another twenty percent, and couldn't help Cardin recover from the damage fast enough to react to Ash kneeling by him.

The smoke around Ash increased in intensity before it all gathered to his right arm, his overall Aura decreasing again as payment until five percent disappeared. Ash reeled his right fist back, prepared to bring it down on the bully. Realizing his intent, Weiss stood up. Before she was able to shout out to stop him, Glynda grabbed her shoulder. Weiss turned to her in panic, but ended up more confused.

"He can still see, have a little faith in him," she assured her. Weiss sat down, and silently kept watching.

Ash brought his fist down on the ground next to the bully's head. Cracks appeared on the ground originating from Ash's fist. Glynda managed to activate her semblance in response to the room cracking, repairing the room almost as fast as the cracks appeared. Ash stood up and left the arena, heading over to the professor and his mistress.

"Mister Valentine has left the arena, the winner is Team CRDL," Glynda announced, wanting to announce something different, but was bound to the rules. She waited for Ash to meet them before saying anything else. In a quiet tone, she spoke to him. "You did well Mister Valentine. You've grown much since your last bout."

"I'm sorry," he apologized despite her praise, unsure of who exactly it is he was apologizing to: Glynda, Cardin, Weiss, or just everyone in general. He looked around, and saw many looking at him with mixed emotions in their eyes. " Even if it was only for a moment, I let my emotions get the better of me. I'm sorry."

"Ash, it's alright. No one's hurt," Glynda reassured him, breaking her character of a strict teacher. "Are you alright? You're bleeding."

"I'm… fine," he replied, thought completely unsure. He looked around once more, the students still stunned by the event. "They're scared. I think I'll go clear my head. If you'll excuse me Miss Goodwitch."

"You're still bleeding. Go to the infirmary, I'll meet you there," she told him, checking him for any injuries from shards of the floor. Ash followed her instruction and made his way to the infirmary before bowing slightly to Weiss.

Glynda made her way back to the front of the class to check up on the supposed winners. Cardin was still lying down, unable to do anything like the time he was saved by Jaune from the Ursa Major. The rest of the team remained unconscious, but more or less fine.

"Ok, never mind plain, his semblance is just dangerous," Coco admitted, releasing her grip on the chair she was seating in. She then noticed Velvet, staring at her camera, with a picture of Ash kneeling Cardin with his right arm pulled back, covered in what looked like armor of angry red cumulous clouds. "As much as I want to think that Winchester deserved the beating, your butler very nearly killed him."

"But he didn't!" Weiss bit back, glaring at the team leader. "He was just angry. Anyone could've done the same in that situation."

"That was beyond just being angry," Coco tried to reason, though frustrated at the heiress' ignorance of the matter. "That there was pure hate. Stop trying to defend something that we all know isn't true."

"I'm not saying that he doesn't hate Cardin!" Weiss countered, ready to run after her friend once she's explained herself. "I'm merely stating the fact that you're judging him as if he's actually killed Cardin. You're judging him like he's a monster."

"Look around you!" Coco yelled immediately, motioning to the people who were still in a state of disbelief. "No one needs that kind of strength! There's no reason to develop a semblance like that without wanting to destroy the world!"

"It's to protect the things he still has!" Weiss yelled, not bothering to acknowledge the attention that their argument was getting. "How dare you judge him like that when you don't even know him?"

Weiss took off towards the infirmary, leaving Coco to think about she just told her. Glynda didn't even try and stop her, only watched the heiress leave, as she used her scroll to explain to Ozpin what caused the quake he felt.

"'The things he still has?'" Velvet echoed, looking at the door Weiss exited through. "What did she mean by that?"

"Ashley told me something like that yesterday," Ruby said, thinking back to how her _friend_ worded it. "She said that before Ash met the Schnee's, the kingdoms didn't even know he existed. His birth certificate, every document that proves he exists is fake."

"What happened to his parents?" Blake asked, suddenly interested in the matter. The people around were clearing out of the room, some heeding Yang's warning during prom night more than ever. Anything she could learn to explain that would put her at ease.

"She didn't really go into it," Ruby said, still trying to recall everything that Ashley told her the day before. "He was abandoned in the streets and they never even found his parents. She said something about Ash probably being born outside the kingdoms."

"So what you're saying is that a five or six year old managed to survive Grimm infested areas, get inside Atlas, and survive for a couple years alone?" Blake guessed, her emotions slowly taking over as she remembered the hundreds of Faunus in similar situation. Ruby nodded slowly.

"Then he literally started with nothing," Yang concluded, with thousands of possible situations that Ash could've gone through at that time, and it made her sick to her stomach. Then she remembered the scars on his hands and the scars that he wants more than anything to hide. "Oh Oum, I'm not so sure I want to know what happened to him to get those scars anymore."

Thanks to the brawler, the image of someone purposely harming a kid, enough to cause scars that not even Aura could fully heal or at the very least, some accident causing the scars. Either way, it's an image they – even Nora – wanted to immediately forget.

Coco, silent ever since Weiss left, now expressed an emotion of pure guilt and regret. Weiss was right to defend Ash, and was right for yelling at her. The right thing to do was to apologize to both mistress and butler, despite her reluctant to admit her fault. However, that was second to the rising question on many minds.

Coco, Velvet, Yang, Ren, Pyrrha, and Blake looked at the arena floor imaging that the cracks are back on them. If such a small sacrifice was enough to nearly cause the entire floor to cave in with just one strike, then what could be destroyed with a much larger sacrifice?

* * *

Weiss reached the infirmary, with Ash sitting on the furthest bed, his palms still bleeding, though less severe than before. She entered as quietly as she could, but by the way Ash's head twitched to her direction, he knew she was there. She grabbed some gauze from one of the drawers and sat down to Ash's left.

"Did Miss Goodwitch send you Miss Schnee?" he asked her, not wanting to meet her gaze in shame. "There's no need to wrap my hands. While I'm not entirely sure why such old scars are bleeding, I know that it isn't anything to worry about."

"Ash, please just let me do this for you," she replied solemnly, waiting for his approval. She heard him start to talk, but she quickly cut him off. "Shut up, that's an order."

Without saying another word, she grabbed Ash's left hand and started to wrap it in the gauze; she finished wrapping it and moved on to his right, he simply let her work. Once she was finished, he examined them by closing and opening his hands.

"I don't know what to do anymore Miss Schnee," he finally spoke, staring at his opening and closing hands. Weiss would only listen. "Before, I only had to protect you at any cost, but even then I didn't let my emotions take control of me. What happened between now and then that changed me?"

"You found more you want to protect," she answered him truthfully, thinking of her team, and many others, all people that Ash befriended in his short time at Beacon. "You're starting to be just a normal teen Ash. You're no longer just Weiss Schnee's servant. You're a student of Beacon now, a Hunter-in-training."

"Is this why you wanted to relieve me? Because I was changing?" Ash asked her, trying to figure out his mistress' mindset, as well as move attention away from his mistake earlier.

"I wanted you to change Ash," Weiss replied, taking Ash's left hand in between hers. "I wanted you to change so that one day we could see each other without thinking of mistress and servant first."

"Best to re-word that, lest I assume differently," Ash warned with a small bitter chuckle. A yawn escaped him and he shook his head to stay awake. Now that the match is over, all the adrenaline that kept him awake has completely dissipated. "I'm sorry Miss Schnee, but I don't think I can stay awake any longer. I've already burned through most of my reserve energy."

"Then sleep," Weiss simply said, getting up from the bed so that he could lie down and sleep. "I'd say you've earned it more than anyone today. I'll be here when you awake. Don't worry, I won't leave you."

"Thank you Miss Schnee," Ash lied down on the bed, and fell asleep as soon as he closed his eyes. Weiss sat on a bed adjacent to his, and smiled at the peacefully sleeping butler.

A half hour passed before Miss Goodwitch entered the infirmary, taking in the sight of the heiress and the sleeping butler, his hands already wrapped in gauze.

"He's tired," Weiss told her, cautious of the professor in case she wants to lecture Ash because of his actions. Glynda sighed and made her way to Weiss and sat down next to her. "Are you angry with him?"

"No, his actions were understandable," the professor said leaving the heiress in shock. "However, that was not what a Hunter is supposed to do. Had he let his emotions take over him like he said, I'm unsure what he might've been able to do. Mister Winchester still had a good percentage of his Aura, but that room was built to sustain large amounts of damage."

"So what happens now?" she asked, afraid for her stay at Beacon along with Ash. She looked to the professor, trying to keep a straight face as to not show her fear. "What's going to happen to Ash now?"

"Nothing," Glynda said with a more successful attempt of keeping a straight face than her student. "Mister Winchester isn't dead, so there's no reason to expel him for it."

Glynda looked around for a bit and made sure that no one was near before continuing.

"And off the record, I believe that Mister Valentine was in the right to give Team CRDL something to be scared of."

"You can call him by his name, you know," Weiss told her, a smile forming on her at the hidden favoritism of the professor.

"Until that boy has been determined to be my son, I shall rarely call him by his given name," Glynda joked with the student, causing her to laugh a little as she remembered her first meeting with Ash.

Glynda left the infirmary, leaving Weiss to care for Ash should he need it. Weiss could only sit at the bed, and watch Ash sleep. When he stirred in his sleep, muttering every now and then, did she get up out of curiosity.

"Miss Schnee, Snow White wasn't so abusive," he muttered almost inaudibly.

Weiss held in her laughter at the memory of the time she ordered Ash to take part in a small play she wanted to do on her favorite fairy tale – though in the end, they never managed to do it. She played the part of Snow White, while Ash played the Prince.

It was all the same as the book, until Weiss got fed up with the passive attitude of the princess, so she put a little more of her own personality in it, much to Ash's dismay. She ended up hitting Ash for trying to kiss her when the part came up. Ash ended up with the reddest cheeks after being constantly slapped by her.

"To dream about such a thing," Weiss said, taking note of the consistency of Ash's dreams. "It seems like you only view memories instead of just dream."

In that moment, she realized that they've been in an almost similar situation before; one of them stirring in their sleep, while the other hovered above them, though she was only pretending to sleep before. She touched the scar over her eyes at the memory, and cursed him.

"Consider this payback," she said before leaning in and stealing the fourth she requested nights before. When she pulled back, not even embarrassment took hold of her. "Now, we're even."

"Is it you _can't_ because you already _are_?" Pyrrha entered the room alone, closing the door behind her. Weiss pushed herself away from the bed and looked to the smiling warrior. "Miss Goodwitch dismissed everyone and announced the day over. Our teams are stuck trying to avoid students with questions. But that's not really that important right now. What's important is that you can't deny anything now. You just stole someone's first kiss while they're unconscious."

"That's not his first kiss," Weiss very quickly defending herself, immediately regretting speaking up without thinking. Pyrrha raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"He said he's never been with anyone before," Pyrrha said out loud, thinking back to everything that butler told her about past relationships, but her mind quickly zeroed in on a single theory. "Wait, have you guys… When? Yesterday?"

"Pyrrha please, this is already as awkward as anything could be," Weiss tried to resolve her little problem quickly, but the warrior wouldn't let her. Pyrrha pulled out her scroll and showed Weiss a picture of her taking advantage of an unconscious Ash. "Saturday night, after Cardin ripped Ashley's dress."

Pyrrha deleted the picture, slightly in respect of Ash's promise. Pyrrha walked closer and examined Ash clearly. His chest was still covered a gauze, and was barely visible underneath the black shirt. Blood was splattered on the gauze that covered his hands, and slowly spread further out.

"Will he be alright?" Pyrrha asked, motioning to his hands. Weiss knelt took a closer look and saw what she meant, but didn't worry about it.

"He'll be fine," Weiss stated, though started to unwrap his hands in worry. The gauze fell off his hands, and she used them to wipe any blood from Ash's hands. The scar closed once more and returned to just any old scar. "We don't know why his scars are bleeding, but I have a theory. It might have something to do with the trauma connected to his semblance."

"A trauma?" Pyrrha asked, a question that Weiss reluctantly nodded to. "Not yours to tell?"

"Sorry Pyrrha, but it's something you might not want to know," Weiss admitted, remembering her trip throughout Ash's memories. "There are just some things better left unknown, I guess."

"Am I right to assume its related to what you said earlier?" Pyrrha asked, sitting on the adjacent bed. "'To protect what he still has?'"

Weiss nodded, getting up to dispose of the bloody bandages. She went back to Ash and searched his pockets for his scroll. Once she found it, she sat next to Pyrrha with an exhausted sigh escaping her.

"Coco has a point you know," Weiss admitted, maneuvering through her servant's scroll to find his Aura gauge, in hopes that she'll feel better just knowing that his Aura recovering will ensure that he'll no longer be in any danger. "Ash's semblance was meant to destroy, but I can't help but continuously ignore that. And even if he does destroy something valuable to someone, I can't see myself blaming him."

"There's a difference between just actions and justified actions," Pyrrha agreed, pondering on the problems of Remnant: from the White Fang to Grimm, from bullies to petty thieves. "We're all always trying to both at the same time that we lose sight of that fact. Ash is no different."

The two of them sat in silence; Pyrrha just relaxing while watching Weiss stare at Ash's scroll counting every percent of Aura that recovered. Only when Ash's Aura reached thirty percent again did she become satisfied. She let out a sigh of relief and pocketed Ash's scroll, having no need for it any longer.

In a few minutes, the rest of Teams RWBY and JNPR, along with Team CFVY. Coco looked like she was forced there; only it didn't look like she wanted to continue her argument with Weiss before.

Velvet, on the other hand, held her camera in one hand and pushed Coco forwards with the other. She was smiling from ear to ear, at the distress of her leader. Yatsuhashi held Ash's sword, bracer and gloves in one hand, gripping them tightly as to not accidently drop it.

"All I'm saying is that it doesn't make sense for us to know that much about him, even if we are friends," Yang said to her friends, annoyed for what can be assumed the questioning they sat through. "Dude's more secretive than Blake is with her books."

"Hey!" her feline partner responded in defense. Ruby quickly silenced them with a rather high-pitched shh, pressing her hands to their mouths. She motioned to the far corner of the room, where Ash was sleeping. They gathered around the bed that Weiss and Pyrrha were sitting on, leaving the butler to sleep in peace. Yatsuhashi placed the butler's gear at the base of the bed he was sleeping on, after briefly inspecting the blade once more.

"Ok Weiss, we need something here," Yang demanded, looking to Ash's hands to see if there are any traces of blood still left on it. The only proofs that she could find were the small bloodstains on the white bed just under his hands. "What's with the bleeding? Every student at Beacon, especially us, is dying to find out."

"I can't tell you that," Weiss admitted, with an apologetic look on her face while keeping her usual stoic one. "If you want to know, then you're going to have to ask Ash."

"But as previously stated, he's secretive," Blake recapped, standing next to her partner. "There are things he won't even tell you, what makes you think he's going to tell us?"

"You're not one to talk Blake," Weiss countered, shaking her head at the cat Faunus, though without any negativity. "Perhaps you've forgotten but you've hidden things from us up till the scuffle at the pier."

Team CFVY looked at each other. They've heard of the events at the pier, but what they didn't know was that Team RWBY had something to do with it. But what perked Velvet's interest the most are the things Blake's hidden from her own teammates.

Silenced by the point made, Blake quickly backed down from the argument, but Yang still wanted answers, even if she had to force the heiress. Weiss, on the other hand, was determined to avoid every question thrown her way, knowing that failing to do so will be betrayal to him.

Yang kept asking questions, trying to break down her guard by asking questions that can be answered as vaguely as possible, but Weiss refused to answer even in those.

"Weiss, just tell us something, please," Yang begged, now knowing that she won't be able to break Weiss. The heiress thought for a second, trying to find an answer that will satisfy the brawler without giving away Ash's secret too much. Luckily, she didn't have to.

"I'll reveal something if everyone in this room vows not to speak of it any longer," Ash spoke behind Yang, eyes bloodshot and half open. He still had no spare energy to move about too much, but recovered enough to stay awake, for now. "That is until I bring it up myself."

"Ash, we didn't mean to wake you," Pyrrha admitted staring at the butler's half-asleep expression, as well as feeling sorry for him. She never knew the feeling of being without energy, but just by looking at Ash, it was something she'd rather not experience.

"I'm aware Miss Nikos," he told her, feeling himself already falling back asleep. "Do I have everyone's promise?"

One by one, they gave him their words, with the exception of Fox, who had Velvet vouch for him. Ash tried to think of something vague he can share that will satisfy Yang, despite his consciousness already being wisped away. In the end, he found one.

"I assume that Miss Schnee has already warned you," he guessed, and let out an exhausted yawn, becoming aware of his breathing slowing down. "I watched scavengers wound my mother and simply left her to bleed to death."

The room stayed silent at the revelation, Ruby and Yang affected the most, as they knew the feeling of losing a mother at a young age, though the causes and situations were completely different. Yang's curiosity has already been sated, and now she regretted asking, but Ash continued.

"My father blamed me, and soon after tried to kill me. I was only four years old at the time. Is that sufficient Miss Xiao Long?"

"Yeah, thanks for…" Yang stopped abruptly, figuring that simply saying 'thanks for sharing' or anything of the sort wouldn't even cut it. "Just thanks."

"Then if you don't mind…" Ash quietly drifted back to sleep, leaving the twelve people to let the revelation sink in.

"I warned you," Weiss said, nudging Pyrrha on the side.


	15. Jaune! Help Ash!

Ash did not wake up again that day. Professor Peach was once again called in to assess his condition after he continuously slept for a little more than twenty hours. Only minutes before their first class, Teams RWBY and JNPR were gathered around the sleeping Ash once again waiting for Professor Goodwitch to tell them Professor Peach's assessment. Luckily the professor entered the infirmary, after only a minute.

"Alright, according to Professor Peach, Ash's condition is mostly normal now," she told her students, focused on her scroll, reading the report that her fellow professor had written on the subject. "She couldn't find any real reason why he's in this coma-like state."

"So then he could just be faking this?" Ruby asked, though feeling a little guilty about the slightly accusing tone in her voice; in truth she felt jealous that he's able to sleep in.

"No, this is most certainly isn't an act," the professor replied, letting out a sigh and showing her scroll to the students. It showed a scan of Ash's brain and several lines of low brain activity. "This has been Ash's brain wave pattern for the last three hours. Even if you tried to wake him, he wouldn't even hear it."

"So when does Professor Peach think he'll wake up?" Weiss asked, fearing an undesirable answer or even a lack of one. Glynda simply shook her head, telling them that she doesn't have answer. "I see, well thank you for keeping us informed professor."

The students started to clear out of the room, and leave their friend to continue his rest. However, Glynda called out to them when she read something at the end of the report.

"Wait a minute, there's something that you all might want to know, and maybe something you all can help try and understand," she explained to them, peaking their curiosity and stopping them before they exited. "It seems that late last night, Mister Valentine's Aura was completely depleted and would not recover for several hours."

"Couldn't it be just an irregularity in the scroll?" Ren asked, thinking back on anything he's learned about Aura in lessons as well as any other times he researched the subject. Glynda shook her head in denial. "Then someone broke in and drained it? CRDL?"

"Unfortunately, as much as sense as that makes, we've already ruled out any foul play," Glynda reported, turning to Ash to run another scan on him with her scroll. "Whatever caused that anomaly is unknown. The only thing we do know is that it somehow originated from his body."

"Another illness?" Pyrrha guessed, knowing that it's by far a long shot. "Guess not. Otherwise he'd have a more active brain wave."

"Well either way, until we know more, there's absolutely no point just standing here," Glynda said, turning into the serious professor personality that she's built. "Get to class, all of you. I'll inform you if anything in Mister Valentine's condition changes."

"Thank you Miss Goodwitch," Weiss said, stealing one more glance towards her sleeping companion before she and her friends exited and made their way to their first class. At that time, the question of the Aura anomaly was evident in their minds.

* * *

Teams RWBY and JNPR were caught up once again in the copious amount of stories that Professor Port was able to tell hours into the class. Like any other day, a lot of those stories were nearly impossible to believe, from the time he supposedly met an abnormal Grimm that fought and killed many of its kind to the story he's telling now: his year long adventure trying to find a supposed myth of a Grimm bigger, stronger, and more terrifying than any other Grimm up to date.

Just like any other day, most of the students are focused on other subjects, such as Blake with her books and Nora – along with many other – with her messed up sleeping patterns. Pyrrha, Ren, Weiss were, as expected, paying close attention to the professor. However this time, Jaune and Ruby gave the professor their undivided attention, as the story was about a myth, like the ones in Ruby's fairy tales and Jaune's comic books.

"In my eight month on this adventure, I started to lose faith that such a Grimm existed," Professor Port continued his story, maneuvering through his scroll to control the projector displaying written testaments of sightings or evidence of the creature he was hunting. "However, the fear of the people were branded into my head, and I kept hunting for the creature they described. A winged Grimm larger than a giant Nevermore, and a supposed glare that would make even experienced Hunters, such as myself, freeze in their tracks out of fear."

"There are Grimm bigger than giant Nevermores?" Jaune asked, bewildered by the new information.

"Yes, though the only known Grimm fitting that description are Goliaths," Pyrrha explained to her inexperienced leader, but with a slightly confused and intrigued expression. "However those are land-based Grimm. The only winged Grimm other than Nevermores are Griffons, and those are about the size of Ursa Majors and Alpha Beowolves."

"My journey eventually led me to the ruins of Mountain Glenn," the professor excitedly continued his story, taking note that both Ruby and Jaune were paying attention unlike they usually did, hoping in vain that they'd continue to do so for days to come. "I've received new information that there has been sightings of a rather large Grimm flying around the mountains near the ruins. I stayed there for several days, trying, though in vain, to rid the ruins of every single Grimm that infested the area. Though as Professor Oobleck will tell you, Grimm, for some strange reason, are attracted to the area. As I killed one Grimm one or several more take its place."

"I met a stranger there, a man older than I am today, simply sitting in the middle of the ruins with no fear of the dangers around him. From a single glance I could tell that this man was wise, but his eyes showed mental deterioration. I asked him what he was doing and he simply told me that he was waiting and nothing else. In hindsight I may have been too easy to give in, but I doubt he would've answered me anyway. I asked him for any information about the mythical Grimm I was tasked to hunt. He simply laughed and his words still haunt my dreams from time to time: _Just you? You're going to need every single army in Remnant to even annoy it. It will bathe the world in darkness."_

"Isn't that just because he was scared?" Ruby found herself asking out loud. The professor stopped his story and turned to her with a smile, happy that she was participating in the class.

"There was no fear in his eyes Miss Rose," he answered her. "There was only the look of a man who has seen the truth – or what he perceived to be the truth. It was as if he had spoken to both angel and demon, telling him the truth of this world. Out of all of the evidences of this creature's existence, that, to me, was the most irrefutable one. He stood up after that and left me there alone to contemplate his words. I spent the rest of my yearlong journey there in the ruins and up in the mountains, but not once did I see this creature. Though every night, the Grimm seemed to be more territorial than normal. Even today I'm convinced that whatever it is that I tried to hunt is still somewhere there."

"You failed a hunt professor?" Pyrrha asked in disbelief. After all the stories he told of his successful excursions against the Grimm, this was the first failure.

"Yes Miss Nikos," he replied, slightly ashamed but with a little relief in his tone. "Though if we were to ask that stranger I met, he'd say I survived a suicide mission. But enough of that, should that myth actually exist, the people of Remnant will surely band together to defeat it."

Before Professor Port could begin with another one of his stories, the door opened and Glynda Goodwitch walked in as if it was as simple as checking an empty room.

"I'm sorry about this Professor Port," she apologized, looking around the room before settling her eyes on Weiss. "I need Miss Schnee to come with me for a quick moment."

Weiss stood up and made her way out of the room with the blonde professor. Glynda said nothing to her, but only kept walking towards the infirmary without uttering a single word. Weiss silently followed her, fighting off the desire to question her about Ash, but understood that it may be easier to explain if she was showed. The two of them simply walked to their destination in no certain hurry, their footsteps echoing in the silent halls of Beacon.

Glynda opened the door to the infirmary and allowed her student to enter before her. In the room, Ash was sat up, simply watching teacher and student walk in silently. Weiss immediately went up to Ash, noting his dead tired expression the closer she got.

"Good morning Miss Schnee," he joked with her, Weiss not finding the joke very humorous. His voice seemed normal, despite the completely opposite expression.

"Are you alright Ash?" she asked, dragging a chair towards his bed, and sitting on it, waiting on the professor to say whatever it is she wanted to say.

"For the most part yes," he answered, trying to make light of his situation. Weiss was unamused, or rather, was more stern and disapproving; almost like the look she gives Yang every time she breaks out in puns. "There's only one small abnormality. It seems that my or Miss Goodwitch's scroll are unable to detect my Aura. I tried to explain that it's only a glitch in the system, but she wouldn't hear any of it."

"You haven't told him?" Weiss turned to Glynda with a more concerned and confused expression than the stern one she gave Ash.

"I thought I'd let you explain it to him?" she simply replied, staying by the closed door, letting the two talk as privately as the situation will allow. Glynda moved her right hand over her scroll and went through its icons, sending Weiss' scroll Ash's data the previous night. "I'm willing to bet that he'll listen to you more than me. I've sent the data you'll need to convince him."

"I'm a little shocked in your lack of trust in me Miss Goodwitch," Ash joked, letting out a short laugh despite being unable to hide his unnatural exhaustion. "In our relationship, I was the only who has ever used deception. And not once have I been dishonest towards you after the night we met."

"Ash, this anomaly isn't just some glitch," Weiss told him, barely paying attention to them as she looked for the data her professor had sent her. She immediately pushed the scroll to her butler's eyes once she's found it. "It happened last night too. Please, take this seriously."

"Such an anomaly has never been recorded before," he replied, a bit frustrated about the matter. He looked the professor as if challenging her to prove him wrong but she remained silent. "There's simply too much unknown about Aura itself to worry about it. I appreciate the both of you for worrying about me, but I will be fine."

"It's that exact stubborn nature that I brought Miss Schnee here for," Glynda said, with some degree of hostility. She marched towards the two, and slammed the boy's body to the bed using her semblance. Weiss didn't move to counter the action, simply trusting her professor just as she trusted her. "Go ahead and try to get up Ash. If you manage to get up, then I'll believe your words. Use that damned semblance of yours if you even can."

Ash summoned whatever energy he had and tried to force his body up, fighting against Glynda's semblance. With her semblance, his body felt like it was several times heavier, and barely having any energy at all certainly didn't help in the matter.

After a few more attempts, Ash activated his semblance, or at least tried to. The usual red smoke started to form around him, and for a moment he managed to rise an inch or two from the bed, before the smoke dissipated and he fell to the bed once more. He relaxed his body, and looked to the professor with a defeated expression. She released him from her semblance, though didn't seem to enjoy the small victory against the boy.

"Do you now accept your situation?" Glynda asked, gripping her riding crop as if to challenge Ash to try and deny it once more. The butler nodded, and she relaxed her grip on her weapon. "But it is as you said, there might be a million more things that we don't know about Aura, whether this situation is an anomaly or simply a natural occurrence is one of them."

"It would make sense to keep an eye on you, just in case it's the former," Weiss added, understanding her professor's argument more and more. With his mistress backing the opposing argument, Ash relaxed in the bed defeated. "Ash there's two ways this situation can play out. One, we could play it safe and hopefully hide this, until your Aura recovers. Or two, I could order you to stay here until your Aura recovers."

"So either way I'm playing the damsel in distress until this irregularity has been resolved," Ash said completely vexed by the choices he was presented with. Weiss and Glynda looked at him with sympathy, able to guess the butler's frustration. "I don't have much of a choice. I'll be careful. Anything, as long as I am no longer considered bed ridden."

"I know full well how you feel Ash," Glynda sympathized with her student, though more frustrated at the puzzle more than she is about his stubbornness. "But we have to reinforce the rules against you. Unfortunately the situation also means we have to temporarily restrict several activities for safety precautions."

Ash let out a defeated sigh as he got up from the bed. He slung his sheathed sword on his back and tied his bracer on his left arm, seeing as he has no where else to put it. With another sigh, he stuffed the metal gloves inside his pocket.

"Ash, here," Weiss took out his usual pair of black gloves from her pocket and offered it to him. "I thought you'd want them when you woke up."

"Thank you Miss Schnee," he smiled at her, taking the gloves and putting them on once again. He opened and closed his hand as if testing the gloves, the pair feeling foreign for some strange reason.

"Alright, now get back to Professor Port you two," Glynda commanded, before turning to Weiss. "I'm counting on you to keep him in check Miss Schnee."

"Despite what I've said thus far Miss Goodwitch, Ash doesn't need me to do so," Weiss defended, staring back at the professor with trusting eyes.

"As much as I'd like to return to classes," Ash said sarcastically, stretching his limbs, and further driving away his exhaustion. "I'd like an hour to wash up and eat. I'm rather famished."

"Very well," Glynda agreed, turning for the door, ready to leave. "However, only an hour Mister Valentine. Miss Schnee, you on the other hand have to go back to your class. I've kept you long enough."

With that, Glynda left the room, getting ready for her class later in the day, leaving master and servant alone in the room. Weiss took a single glance at Ash, taking in every feature; from the now wrinkled clothes he wore to the tired expression slowly disappearing from his expression.

"Miss Schnee?" Ash called out, slightly concerned about his mistress' silence. He simply stood there, waiting for her to either exit the room first or dismiss him to go his own way.

"Go ahead Ash," she told him, receiving a nod in return. Ash went to leave the room only to be stopped by Weiss' voice for another brief moment. "I trust that you know your own limits, please don't try to go past it if it means endangering your health."

"If that is your wish," Ash said, turning to her and bowing to her before he disappeared down the hall.

Weiss could've ordered him instead of just saying what she did, but there was a certain part of her that wanted to put a little more faith in him just as her professor told her the day before. She trusted him, more than anyone in Beacon, but in terms of his own health, he was the one she couldn't trust the most. Shaking her head, trying to get rid of the argument in her head, she made her way back to Professor Port's class.

She returned to the class and back to her seat without as much of a comment from the professor. Peter was in the middle of another story, something about diving in the middle of a territorial bout between several Alpha Beowolves, only with less of an interested audience. Ruby scooted closer to Weiss, whispering to her in the most discreet way she could – not at all.

"How's Ash?" she asked, still facing the front of the class, only stealing glances of her partner. Weiss let out a sigh similar to that of Ash's earlier. "Something happened to him right?"

"He's awake, he just doesn't have any Aura right now," Weiss unenthusiastically explained, as if it were just any everyday problem. "There shouldn't be a problem as of now. He said he won't push past his limit for the time being."

"Where is he now?" Pyrrha asked from behind them, her head propped up with her right hand, elbow on the desk.

"He's more than likely in his room," she replied, giving her attention to the professor for a brief second if he had something important or different to tell the class, but no. "He asked for an hour to wash up and eat."

"It makes sense," Blake commented, her eyes never leaving the book she was reading, and was only listening in like usual. "He has been asleep for nearly a full day, it'll be incredible if he isn't hungry."

"I think it's more like he hasn't taken a shower yet, Kitty Cat," Yang added, smirking at Weiss, even though the heiress was doing the best she could to ignore the conversation. "I doubt he'd want to smell while around Weiss."

"Do you always have to go for anything that even has a remote chance of being romantic?" Weiss countered, turning and staring critically at her teammate. "Ever since Ash got here, all you've done is pair he and I together. We've told you countless of times, our relationship is nothing more than pure companionship."

Pyrrha very nearly commented on what she had seen yesterday, but was quickly silenced when Weiss turned to glare at her.

"So then why bother sweetening it?" Yang countered, slightly annoyed by the repetition of her argument. "Just say 'master and servant' like he would and get it over with."

"Because that is only temporary," Weiss declared, returning the same feeling towards her teammate. Yang retracted a bit, unsure of what else she could say, now that her best argument is gone. "Ash will soon be simply my companion instead of servant. He's done everything the Schnee family has asked of him thus far, and he deserves the liberty to go wherever he wants instead of simply being tied to one person."

Yang didn't respond, or rather couldn't. The heiress made her point, and it was a point that no one could argue with. Pyrrha remained silent, now knowing that Weiss had already made up her mind, instead of the mess it was the day prior. However, Jaune, of all people, found a negative in her plan.

"But… wait," he said, stopping for a moment to gather his thought, not wanting to sound idiotic in front of his friends, as well as to not insult both master and servant. "Wouldn't that be the same thing as… umm… kicking him out of the only family that accepted him? And you know, not the one that tried to… kill him?"

"Ash already knows of my plan, and he has no problem with it," Weiss explained, slightly lying to herself, wanting to believe that she was right even if it turns out to be false. "Besides, he'll always be welcome in the Schnee family."

Their conversation ended there. Without Ash around to either confirm or deny the claims and accusation, it'd be the same as a dog running around in circles chasing its tail. The class continued on with the 'eventful' life of Professor Port, with a little information of different Grimm on the side, before he delves into another story. Ruby and Jaune, unfortunately lost interest after his story about the mythical Grimm and were now occupying themselves in any way they could.

The door opened once more, and Ash walks in with a half eaten apple in one hand. He wore a black hoodie with the Schnee family crest in the back, a red shirt nearly fully hidden underneath it, a pair of blue jeans similar to the one he wore not an hour ago, and the same black sneakers. Only his sheathed sword was the only gear present on him, the bracer nowhere to be seen. He bowed to the professor as a greeting, before receiving a nod back to tell him to continue to his seat.

He did so as quietly as he could, occasionally taking a bite out of the apple in his hand. He bowed to Weiss before taking a seat by her side, without saying a single word. Professor Port continued on with his story, almost as if Ash hadn't walked in at all. There was silence with Teams RWBY and JNPR, with the only sound being the crunch of Ash taking bites out of his apple.

For a few minutes, Ash simply focused his attention on the teacher, trying to learn more about the Grimm from his story. A cold chill ran down his spine and he panned to the side, to look at his friends. They were all simply staring at him, as if demanding something, with the exception of Blake and Nora who were occupied with either a book or the back of her eyelids, respectively; and Ruby who was simply staring at the apple in his hand.

Reaching into his hoodie's pocket, he produced another apple and held it out for the cloaked leader. She snatched it out of his hand and started eating it. With the rest still demanding something, he swallowed his food and spoke.

"They told me to wait for noon and gave me a few apples to stave off hunger," he explained, hoping that it would be the one explanation they were looking for. At the explanation, Ruby stopped eating her apple, simply staring at it guiltily. "It's quite alright Miss Rose, I've already had a few prior to this one."

Ruby continued to eat her apple, though less enthusiastically as before.

"Ash are you—" Weiss began to ask, but was quickly interrupted by Ash.

"I am alright Miss Schnee. While it is appreciated, but I assure you that there is no need for concern. Aura is simply a defense mechanism, not a necessity."

"It kinda is," Jaune countered, remembering the day that Pyrrha unlocked his, and how appreciative he's been ever since then. "You know, occupational hazard and all."

"In some sense, that would be correct Mister Arc," Ash explained, hoping that they'd understand his way of thinking afterwards. "However, it's also in similar reasoning as to your shield. Technically speaking, there's no need for a shield, however, you use one anyway for extra protection."

"Interesting statement Mister Valentine," Professor Port stated, immediately attracting the attention of his students. Some of them started to apologize, but went ignored and unfinished as a smile appeared on the professor. "Care to test your philosophy?"

Three cages, covered in black tarps with what sounds like Beowolves ramming their bodies against the metal of the cages, appeared from the ground. His students looked at him as if he was insane, or at least oblivious to the situation.

"Professor, there's a problem with that right now," Jaune tried to explain, slightly concerned as the butler just continued to eat his apple to completion as if completely unconcerned.

"I assume Miss Goodwitch informed you?" Ash asked the professor, ignoring the blonde leader along with the professor. The smile never disappeared from the professor as he nodded to confirm.

"Of course this time I will step in if something were to happen," the professor explained to him, revealing the caged Grimm to the light. "And of course, I'm not going to allow you to fight on your own with your current situation. Miss Schnee will be your partner for this."

As Weiss began to rise from her seat to retrieve her weapon, Ash put his hand on her shoulder to keep her seated, his gaze never leaving the professor. He held out his scroll to her and she accepted it, confused.

"Instead of Miss Schnee, I'd like Mister Arc to be my partner instead," Ash requested, standing up to go to the side of the room, opposite to the Grimm. With Ash's hand gone from her shoulder, Weiss stood up, this time for a different reason. Jaune stood up as well, staring shocked at the butler.

"Is there a problem with me being your partner Ash?" Weiss asked, fuming in annoyance and anger towards her servant. She glared at him, debating whether or not to stop this entire exercise in both spite and concern – mostly spite. "Explain yourself now."

"The point of this exercise is to compare Aura to a shield," Ash explained, casually throwing the stem of his apple away, before facing the three Beowolves, now only waiting for his partner to join him. "Moreover, this would be much needed experience for both Mister Arc and I. I do trust you Miss Schnee, but there's not much to learn from mere ice sculptures."

"I'm not the best partner for this kind of situation," Jaune admitted, trying to convince his friend. "We can always learn more later, and if it's a shield, Pyrrha has one too."

"I won't take anyone else as a partner for this Mister Arc," Ash countered, intended to threaten the leader into stepping into the fray. "If you would rather not participate, then I fear I'd have to go against all three on my own."

Pyrrha, Ren, Yang, and Blake recognized what the butler was trying to do, and simply looked away whenever Jaune would look to them to speak up. Weiss could only grit her teeth. She understood Ash's intentions, but that didn't mean that she had to agree with them. However, once more, the side of her that saw Ash as a rival and desperately wanted him to catch up to her in terms of a Hunter rose up to throw her thoughts into chaos.

Having left with little to no choice, Jaune agreed with the condition and called for his locker to deliver Crocea Mors and his armor. The smile on the butler both unnerved him, and caused him to slightly detest Ash. Ash had cornered him and caught him in his trap with very little effort.

Once both the Hunters-in-training were ready, Professor Port released the Beowolves from their cages and all three ran to the two teens in front of them. Jaune raised his shield to defend himself, from their attacks, momentarily forgetting that Ash currently doesn't have his Aura.

He peeked out from behind his shield and found none of the Grimm. He looked to the side and found Ash desperately dodging all three Beowolves. Jaune moved in and drove his blade across one of the Beowolves' back. It's hide proved to be too tough for the knight's blade to fell it in a single blow. The Grimm turned its attention to him, while its brethren remained focused on Ash. Jaune once again raised his shield to defend himself, but the Beowolf once more turned to Ash and ignored the blonde.

Ash jumped to the right as one Beowolf tried to split him in two with its claws. Another one pounced at him, and Ash drew his sword from its scabbard and placed it in between him and the Beowolf's claws. Ash glanced to the side and saw Jaune draw the attention of one Beowolf for a brief second before it seemingly ignored him. He pushed the Beowolf he's engaged with away and once more jumped away.

All three Beowolves followed him, and Jaune followed them. Ash braced himself and pushed past them, running through a gauntlet of fangs and claws. Ash and Jaune stood side by side with their weapons drawn, trying to formulate a plan as their opponents started to surround them.

"They're not very interested in me," Jaune summarized, raising his shield once more, his eyes zooming from side to side, to see and react to an attack from any of the Beowolves.

"So it would seem," Ash agreed, ready to attack should his partner attack first, and defend should a Beowolf beat them to the initiative. "I say we use it."

"Would've agreed if you had Aura in case something goes wrong," Jaune countered.

"I'm counting on you Mister Arc," Ash said, not giving the blonde any choice. Ash ran past a Beowolf, and all three followed.

Once more, Ash turned around prepared to defend against any attack. Two Beowolves immediately pounced, and the third ran to the side before attacking. Pulling the scabbard from his back, along with his sword, Ash blocked against the two in front and trusted Jaune to deal with the third. He wasn't disappointed when the leader appeared and blocked the blow from the Beowolf.

"You're insane!" Jaune accused, very nearly making Ash laugh if it weren't for the situation.

Ash pushed the two Beowolves away and attacked one with his scabbard and assisted Jaune with the one he was dealing with by using the flat of his blade to hit it away. Jaune pushed forward and slammed his shield against the Beowolf's body before slashing it across its neck. Like before, its hide proved too tough but was severely hurt this time.

Behind Jaune, Ash put his sword back in its scabbard, deeming it too cumbersome and awkward to use against the unfamiliarity of the enemies. Ash was the first to act, rushing towards the two Beowolves, activating his semblance for a brief second as to not over-sacrifice what limited energy he had. The boost from his semblance sped up his velocity enough to catch both Grimm off guard and slammed a fist to the jaw of one Beowolf, knocking it on its back several yards back. Once more, Ash activated his semblance for a little bit longer this time, to draw his sword from its sheath and slam its flat side against the second Beowolf, and knocking it back to where the first one was just recovering before retuning the blade once more in its sheath.

Again, the Beowolf that Jaune was fighting ignored him and went straight for Ash. Its claws scraping against the floor as it ran towards the butler. Jaune called out to warn him and Ash turned around in time to see Jaune throw his shield to him faster than the Grimm could move. Ash caught the shield and used it to block and push the Beowolf away before tossing the shield back to its owner.

Jaune caught the shield and placed himself between the lone Beowolf and Ash. Jaune charged the creature, slamming his shield against it just like before. The Grimm staggered back and Jaune took this chance to attack it once again. He brought his blade across its chest, further staggering it another yard. Jumping forward, Jaune brought the blade to the Beowolf's neck.

The Beowolf fell to its knees; the force of Jaune's attack left it in a dazed state. Unable to comprehend what just hit it, it only had enough sense to look to Jaune, deem him an enemy, and snarl before Jaune decapitated it with one final cut across its neck. The body fell forward like a sac, while the head flew off, slowly disintegrating even before it hit the ground.

Jaune was elated, bringing down the creature alone with only a few strikes whereas he wouldn't have been able to as much land a blow before, much less actually kill one. He knew he had to thank Pyrrha once this was over.

"Jaune!" he heard his partner call. He turned thinking that he'd receive several praises from his friends, but their frantic and urgent expressions told him differently. He looked to Pyrrha who was desperately pointing to something behind him. "Jaune! Help Ash!"

He turned and saw his friend, along with the other two Beowolves in sort of grapple. Ash's right leg was caught in between one Beowolf's teeth, slowly dripping blood onto its tongue and the floor. His left forearm where his bracer would be, as well was caught in between the teeth of a Beowolf, as if both creatures were trying to pull their prey down to the ground. Ash's sword fully buried in the shoulder of the one on his leg, pushing through the rest of its body, and coming out the far side. The two creatures must've caught the butler by surprise when the one that Jaune just killed last attempted an attack on Ash.

Ash was glaring at the remaining Beowolf, his right eye slightly blinded by the blood dripping from a cut above it. As the Beowolf below started to disintegrate, Ash regained use of his leg to balance himself, as well as the use of his right arm and blade.

Jaune quickly ran towards Ash, throwing his shield to the ground, grabbing his sword with both hands, and driving it to the side of the final Beowolf. The Grimm howled in pain, opening its mouth wide. Before it could take another bite out of Ash, he drove the tip of the Atlas blade into its mouth, and through its skull. The Grimm grew limp, and with a push, its body fell to the ground, with its head slowly sliding off the blade.

Ash would've collapsed from his wounds, if Jaune hadn't been there, weapon already away, simply letting the butler lean on him for support. Though only used for a few moments, Ash's semblance took its revenge on the Aura-less Ash. Ash coughed three times, splattering the floor with more blood, but from his lungs. Luckily, the constriction on his lungs was only minimal.

"Thank you Mister Arc," Ash managed to get out, his grip on the hilt of his weapon loosening to the point for gravity to force it to the ground. Their team and professor, who examined Ash's wounds carefully, joined the two.

"Do you still believe that Aura isn't a necessity?" Professor Port asked, fishing out gauze from his desk and wrapping it around the wounds that posed more imminent danger.

"I stick to what I said professor," Ash admitted, having the nerve to laugh. "What saved me was Mister Arc, not Aura."

"How was that saving you?" Jaune asked, frustration building up as his friends blood started to slowly drip from his hand to the floor. "You almost died because I can't even keep the attention of one Beowolf. Even the Grimm doesn't see me as a threat."

"That wasn't your fault Mister Arc," Professor Port admitted, sparing a glance to the disintegrating creature of Grimm. "If anything, the fault belongs to me. I should've seen the aberration in these three. They were all specifically targeting Mister Valentine for some reason."

"This day is just filled with irregularities isn't it?" Ash said, slowly laughing at his misfortune. Weiss reeled her hand back and brought it down on Ash's injured left forearm. Ash held in a groan of pain, and simply stared at her confused along with the rest of their friends. "Miss Schnee?"

"You dare treat this as a joke?" Weiss said, steaming with anger. Anger towards the damned irregularities, the incompetence of Jaune, the ignorance of the professor, her inability to do anything despite giving her word to Glynda to prevent such an incident, and most of all, Ash's twisted sense of value when it comes to his life. "You've nearly gotten yourself killed once again, after relegating me to the sideline. And once more, you openly show that you value your life less than dirt. How many times must I say that you are NOT expendable?"

"Would it be foolish of me to say that I wanted to show you that I was alright?" he asked, more ashamed than anything at that moment. Weiss' anger grew more at his confession, looking over his bloody state. He removed his arm from Jaune's shoulders and tried his best to slowly drop to one knee stopping the professor from bandaging his still bleeding wounds. "Please forgive me Miss Schnee. I only wanted to prove that I can stay useful to you no matter what the situation may be."

"Will you only stop after you've proven every single possibility?" Weiss continued to interrogate. "What situation is next? While you're on top of Beacon Tower?"

"Weiss, I understand your frustration, but you can't blame him for trying to prove something," Pyrrha tried to reason, as both Jaune and Professor Port helped Ash get up as carefully as possible to continue treating his wounds. "Yes his methods may be… extreme, but it does make good evidence."

"I don't care about damned evidence," Weiss countered, her glare never leaving the injured boy. "I care about my friend."

"It's quite alright Miss Schnee," the professor cut in, finishing up his care for the butler's leg wounds. He took a look at the wounds on his arm and head, but they weren't as deep as they'd initially thought. "His wounds are a lot more tame than they appear to be. His wounds last time were much more severe. How are you feeling Mister Valentine?"

"Ashamed," Ash confessed, his gaze directed at the ground. "I thought I would've learned something from the last time. It seems I was mistaken."

"That's not necessarily true," the professor commended him with a slap to the back, irritating his stumps and his open wounds. "You learned how to dodge and maneuver around them. Whereas the time before, you were unable to even predict their attacks. You've made a tremendous stride. Miss Schnee, your thoughts?"

"Ash, against Grimm, you've only been reckless and stupid," Weiss berated him coldly, before letting a sigh escape her lips. "But you've grown. I can only hope you learn from this blunder, in both against the Grimm and me."

"Yes Miss Schnee," he replied, bowing slightly, with a small smile plastered on him.

"Now, before he bleeds out, can someone take him to the infirmary?" Professor Port asked, shaking his head at the blood now pooling on the floor beneath them. Ash let out a groan, and spoke up before anyone else.

"If I'm to be honest, I'd rather wait for my Aura to return than go back there. I'm rather sick of that room," Ash childishly argued, despite his blood still staining the professor's floor.

Weiss reeled her hand back again, only to be caught by Nora. The orange haired girl shook her head, and Weiss let her hand fall back to her side. Nora took a step closer, and closed her right hand into a fist and slammed it against Ash's left forearm.

The excessive force of the blow, forced Ash's body weight to be directed towards his injured right leg. The combined pain of both the blow and the strain rendered the butler unconscious, with Jaune catching him before he fell to the ground.

"Nora!" Jaune yelled, half worried and half angry. "Why'd you do that?"

"I thought it would be easier this way," she confessed, shrugging her shoulders innocently. She looked to Weiss with a smug expression and found the heiress staring shocked at her servant before turning to her and giving her an appreciative thumb up.

"Well then, Mister Arc, will you carry Mister Valentine to the infirmary?" Professor Port requested, smiling at the blonde leader. Jaune simply nodded, still stunned by what his teammate had done to their friend. "Miss Schnee, you may go as well, if you so please."

"Thank you professor," Weiss smiled at the old man. "If he happens to wake up, I want to be the one to knock him into unconsciousness."

"Now I feel I should retract my offer to save my student," the professor joked before letting his students go. Jaune and Weiss exited the room with an unconscious Ash, while the rest of their teams took their seats.

* * *

Weiss and Jaune walked in silence to their destination. Jaune had Ash on his back, while Weiss carried Crocea Mors. Much to their surprise, Glynda Goodwitch was waiting for them just outside the infirmary doors. Without saying a single word, Glynda acknowledged them and opened the door, entering before them to lie out the bed for the butler again.

The two teens entered the room, and Jaune placed Ash on the bed, growing more and more aware of the awkward silence that was enveloping them. Ash's wounds still slightly bled, staining the white sheets of the bed. Even the wrapped leg wounds bled through the gauze and onto the sheets.

Saying their farewells to the professor, the two teens went to exit and go back to their class.

"Miss Schnee, a word if you may," Glynda requested, grabbing a couple of chairs from underneath a desk, placing them near Ash and sitting on one of them, expecting and waiting for the heiress to sit in the empty one.

"I'll tell Professor Port," Jaune offered, receiving a nod from the heiress and being handed his weapon. Jaune closed the door behind him and walked back to the class, thankful that he wasn't in the infirmary any longer.

Weiss took a seat in the empty chair in front of the blonde professor, simply waiting to be scolded for letting her servant fight without Aura despite her promise. Glynda didn't expression a single emotion, with only her eyes looking the heiress all over before panning to the injured student.

"I can only assume it was his choice," she said, finally showing emotion; more frustration at the butler's recklessness, rather than Weiss' broken promise. "You're not at fault. I never expected you to be able to keep such a promise, not when this boy is involved. He seems exempt from every rules of safety."

"There's nothing I can do," Weiss admitted, fishing out Ash's scroll from her pocket to look at his Aura level again. "Some part of me will always want Ash to be in his very best for when we spar again."

"You may have held him as a rival for too long," Glynda said, almost laughing at the nearly similar rivalry between the other Schnee, and an old drunkard. "But it doesn't seem like it's all that bad. You try your hardest for that rivalry despite whatever other reason you say, Similarly, he does the same. Do you remember when he first fought against Mister Winchester? It wasn't until you gave him the order to win, that he tried his best."

"But he was already well on his way to winning it," Weiss countered, remembering back several weeks to the day. "Cardin was already only a few more blows to the chin until he finally felt the effect."

"I assume it is rather difficult to see something as inconspicuous as a transparent coating smoke from where you were," Glynda playfully told her, as she pulled up the recording of the duel. She handed her scroll to Weiss, and the heiress watched it, watching closely for a change.

Near the end of the duel, right before Cardin's body hit the floor, Ash's form started to ripple, but it very quickly disappeared when Cardin's body made contact with the floor. She played it back over and over again, watching more closely than the one before. After the fourth time, she saw the familiar red smoke around her servant.

"'To serve and please Miss Weiss Schnee,'" Glynda continued. "That's what he told me his wish was the night I first met him."

"What does that have anything to do with rivalry?" Weiss questioned, trying to hide the joy she's feeling.

"Rivalry can be defined as 'trying to be better than the other,' Glynda explained, pointing at Weiss before panning to the right to point at the butler. "Or 'trying your best alongside the other.' Both definitions are correct, it all just depends on the person."

"Thank you Miss Goodwitch," Weiss gave the professor back her scroll and stood up, before sitting down again on Ash's bed. She took a look at Ash's scroll once more and found a small percentage of his Aura coming back. Pocketing the scroll, she stroked the butler's cheek despite the professor still being in the room. Ash's eyes opened, and trained on the heiress' smiling expression albeit a bit blurry.

"Miss Schnee?" he managed to croak out. His sense of touch registered the hand on his cheek, and he raised his hand to hold it. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

"It's alright Ash," Weiss said as softly as she could. "Just rest for now."

Before Ash could respond, Weiss stood up and brought her small fist to crash against the butler's nose, rendering him unconscious one more time. Behind her, Glynda remained as still as a statue, still trying to process exactly what she had just seen.

"Now, I forgive you," she said innocently as she headed towards the door with a brighter outlook for the day. Before she headed back to her class, she turned to the blonde professor. "Will you please inform me once Ash wakes up again Miss Goodwitch?"

Without waiting for a response, Weiss closed the door and left.


	16. With My Life

Needless to say, Weiss wasn't physically strong enough to knock Ash out for the rest of the day. He woke up half an hour later, with a confused Glynda Goodwitch still watching over him. He let out a groan in annoyance once he registered where he was: the familiar and sickening white ceiling and floor that blinds you when the sun's rays hit them, and the smell of the overly sanitized air.

For the next ten minutes or so, Glynda and Ash pieced the story together, filling in the part of the story that the other couldn't and simply assuming for the parts that neither knew. Ash explained what happened in Professor Port's class, his choosing to partner up with Jaune instead of Weiss, their battle against the Beowolves, and the mistake that had landed him in the infirmary. The last he remembered was a stinging pain in his left arm and right leg, before his body shut down in response. Afterwards, Glynda filled in that Jaune and Weiss were the ones that brought him in, however the journey between the two rooms went, they could only guess. After that, there wasn't much to fill in without Glynda revealing too much. The memory of Weiss' small fist shaking his brain inside his skull with a single punch was the latest and strongest memory he was knocked unconscious again. Soon afterwards, Glynda wrapped his remaining wounds in gauze despite his Aura returning.

Ash searched his pocket for his scroll, but found it missing, only to remember that Weiss still had it. He had planned to inform her of his awakening himself, but that's not a possibility any longer.

"It's nearly noon," Glynda informed him, already in the process of informing Weiss of her servant's condition. "It would probably be best if you head to the cafeteria ahead of them. After all, you have yet to have a proper meal. Do take care of yourself from now on. I doubt you'd want to invoke the wrath of your mistress once again."

"Understood, I don't remember a time she was ever that physically… harmful…" Ash trailed off near the end as flashes of the times Weiss had hit him when they were mere children ran through his mind; from that time underneath the maple tree, to her Snow White play. "On second thought, I may be in more danger than I'd previously thought."

Teacher and student said their farewells to each other, and headed in opposite ways. Ash headed for the cafeteria while Glynda headed back up Beacon Tower, and to Professor Ozpin's office. Classes were still in session, making the halls quiet enough for every one of Ash's steps to echo endlessly. Instead of going to the cafeteria like he planned to do so, he headed outside and found himself in the pavilion.

Without the cacophony of students and the stress of trying to find and make up with a certain someone, the pavilion was peaceful. With the season slowly nearing the middle of autumn, a constant breeze was flowing throughout Beacon. Ash sat on one of the tables, and put his arms crossed on the tabletop and placed his head on them. He closed eyes, simply relishing the feeling of the breeze. Without the noise of the students, the whistling of the wind and the rustling of the leaves became more prominent than before.

Though it was a different pavilion, this one resembled the one in the Schnee garden, where he spent hours on end with both the Schnee daughters. It was different, but he couldn't help the feeling of nostalgia consume him.

It was at a pavilion that he always found Weiss when they played Hide and Seek, and when she was the one who sought, he would always find her in the pavilion looking under the shrouded tables while he hid on top of a tree. It was a pavilion that he had to practice with Weiss for her Snow White play. It was at a pavilion that he revealed his secret to Weiss.

To him, pavilions have and will always be a place of refuge, a sanctuary, because should he ever go missing, he knew that it's at a pavilion that Weiss will first look, the place that she will find him.

"If you sleep like that, someone's gonna steal from you…" an unknown male voice said slowly and quietly behind him. For each word he spoke, he seemed to get closer. Ash kept his eyes closed and remained motionless, waiting for the stranger to get closer and see what he does. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

He was right behind him now, and Ash remained aware of his presence. When Ash felt a slight change of pressure in his pocket, Ash grabbed the stranger's wrist and pulled him forward, forcing him to ground by the table, keeping his grip on the stranger's wrist. Ash stood up and stepped on the stranger's right shoulder, while pulling his right hand up.

The stranger looked to be a dog or wolf Faunus with silver canine ears mixed in with a messy head of silver hair. The Faunus turned as much as he could to Ash, revealing slightly tanner skin than Ash, along with an angry pair of amber eyes. He seemed to be two or three inches taller than Ash, counting the canine ears. He wore an open front green vest over a black shirt that slightly hugged his chest, but became looser the lower it got on his body. He wore a pair of dark blue jeans and a pair of black sneakers.

"You should know better than to underestimate any target, even if they seem to be asleep," Ash warned. The wolf Faunus snarled at Ash in pain, as Ash slightly twisted his arm. "I never knew such petty thieves have the gall to enter Beacon, especially when every Hunter-in-training has converged here."

"Come on man," the wolf complained, trying to get up though in vain as Ash twisted his arm once more to deter the attempt. The stranger's body fell back to the ground in pain. "You're gonna break my arm! Let go dammit!"

"Give me one good reason why I should," Ash demanded, twisting the boy's arm one more. The wolf yelled in pain in response.

"Wait! That idiot is with me!" another unknown voice resounded from behind Ash, this time a young woman's. Ash let the wolf's wrist go and stepped away from him, getting the incoming woman into his field of view.

She ran into the pavilion while her companion got up from the ground, testing whether or not his shoulder was broken. The wolf cocked his fist back and was prepared to throw it at the butler, but the girl immediately got between the two. Ash remained focused on the woman, his eyes wide as he took in her form.

The young woman was similar to Winter Schnee is figure. She had black hair that went past her shoulders in length, but was tucked in to land on her collarbone. She was pale like Ruby, with slightly panicked black eyes. She wore an open front vest like her companion; only hers was short, reaching just a few inches from her chest, hugged her body tightly, and was white in color. Beneath the vest, she wore a gray long sleeved shirt that, like her vest, hugged her figure. She wore a pair of black slim straight and black shoes similar to the Beacon uniform regulation. And like her companion, she was a Faunus, with black bat-like wings protruding from her back.

"It's rude to stare you know," she said awkwardly, fully aware of what he was staring at. Her wings folded even further behind her, as if trying they were autonomously trying to hide behind the girl. Contrary to her statement, she found herself staring at the gauze wrapped around Ash's left forearm.

"You're a dragon," Ash found himself saying. Once more, her wings tried to hide. She gave an uncomfortable laugh, and nodded, snapping her attention away from his arm.

"The last one," she admitted sadly, bowing slightly.

Ash fought the urge to tell her that she wasn't the last one. He wanted to tell her more than anything in that moment to tell her that she wasn't the last one. That he was one as well but currently, he wasn't. He was a human; he was Weiss Schnee's butler. She gave him hope that the dragons were not yet extinct, that he wasn't the last one. He wanted to pass on that hope to her, but he couldn't trust her. But that also doesn't mean she had to know that he was the other.

"You're not the last one," he told her. Both wolf and dragon looked to him in shock. He looked at the ground, not wanting to show the bit of guilt he felt, should it be present in his expression. "There's another one in Atlas. I'm not sure what he's doing now, but he's alive."

A moment of silence filled the area. Ash looked up, wondering what the two were doing. Lava looked hopeful. Her expression was still that of shock, but there was joy in it. Aaron looked happy for his leader, looking as if he was all to ready to give her a hug.

"Well don't keep us in suspense," Aaron said excitedly, playfully pushing Ash's shoulder, seemingly like he already forgotten what he'd done not a minute ago. "What's his name? How is he?"

"Unfortunately, I don't know what his name is," he lied, giving them an apologetic smile, though for a different reason than what they thought. "I only know of him after he got into an accident a little over eleven years ago."

"'Eleven?'" Lava echoed, going into a state of thought for a short while. She snapped out of it soon enough. She looked to Ash gratefully. "Just knowing that I'm not the last is enough. Thank you."

Ash only bowed in response. Trying to drown and bury the guilt that had filled him. The happiness of the female dragon's expression definitely helped.

"The name's Lava," she introduced herself, walking up to Ash and holding out her right hand. "Lava Valentine, third year student of Mistral, and leader of Team LAVA. Please, don't ask about the team name."

"'Valentine?'" he echoed, stunned by her introduction. The two Faunus in front of him looked at him confused. He quickly recovered and held out his hand to shake Lava's extended one. "I apologize. My name is Ash. Ash Valentine."

"Another Valentine huh?" the male Faunus asked teasingly. The smirk on him openly disgusted his companion, and disappointed Ash. The two dragons took a single step away from each other and looked at the wolf. "What? I'm just saying that you two might be brother and sister. Long… long lost brother and sister."

"Perhaps the failure of a thief would like to introduce himself before accusing others about their parentage?" Ash mocked him, making the female Faunus laugh. The wolf glared and snarled back, but was held back by his companion stretching her wing to block him.

"The name is Aaron Shader," he said, puffing his chest out to appear more masculine. Both dragons looked at him as if he was an idiot. "Second leader of Team LAVA, and partner and fiancé to our beautiful team leader."

Lava glared at him, swinging her wing back to knock him aside to an awkward sitting position on a chair. The attack made Ash laugh, and his laughter caused the girl to laugh. Aaron made a quick mental note that the two were strangely comfortable with each other, whereas Lava wasn't too eager to interact with most before, and that Ash hasn't asked more questions about Lava's heritage.

"Please don't mind this idiot partner of mine," she dismissed the claim as calmly as she could. Ash shook his head, ensuring her of his non-existent intent to do so. "By the way, you never told us what team you're on. Hardly seems fair does it?"

"I guess not, but I'm not part of any team," Ash explained, stunning the two. Aaron glared at Ash critically, doubting his explanation. "I promise that I am not some spy Mister Shader. You'd be dead or at least injured otherwise."

"Why so formal?" Lava asked, a bit unnerved by someone calling her partner by his last name. Though threatened on the other hand…

"I am an eleven year butler of Weiss Schnee," he explained, turning around to show the Schnee Family crest on his apparel, before turning to face them again. "It's a trained habit more than anything, but I will continue to do so even among friends."

"Well you're gonna have to change that for me," Lava requested, shuddering at the thought of being called by her last name, especially from someone with the same last name. "It would be really weird if you call me 'Miss Valentine.' So, for the sake of our budding friendship, don't call me that. I'd have to beat you up otherwise."

"How about a compromise?" he offered. She looked at him quizzically and wondering how a compromise could be made. "The best compromise I can offer is that I refer to you as 'Miss Lava' instead. That shouldn't be a problem should it?"

"You don't have to worry about that, she'll soon be Mrs. Shader," Aaron chimed in, standing up and putting a hand around his partner's shoulders. Lava glared at him and forcefully removed the arm from her, gripping him at the wrist and squeezing as tightly as she could. "Ok! Ok! Uncle! Uncle! I get it, I get it you're stronger than me, please let go."

Lava released her partner from her grip and smiled victoriously, before turning to the butler.

"I don't see a problem in that," she replied, satisfied with the compromise. Her partner looked at her strangely, before looking to Ash; a notion that she ignored but attracted the attention of the butler. "Don't mind him. He thinks that every single person I talk to – guy or girl – is a love rival for him. And I've told him billions of times before that I. Am. Not. Interested."

"Well, it's just that you seem to be immediately buddy-buddy with this guy," he pointed out, examining Ash all over, from head to toe. Ash simply let him, though a bit cautious that he'll try to pickpocket Ash again. Lava let out a sigh and watched her partner dance around their new friend. "Yeah, seriously. What's the difference between him and everyone else? You don't usually trust humans. You even took your sweet time just getting used to me."

"I don't really know, he just seems… cool," Lava admitted, shrugging her shoulders. A strange feeling of pride began to swell up within Ash as the wolf Faunus stared at his leader stupefied by her declaration. "What? I've always been right about people so far. I was right about you. You immediately tried to hit on me as soon as our team was officially formed."

"In my defense, anyone would've done the same," Aaron defended himself, or at least tried to. Lava looked unimpressed, her arms folded across her chest with an impatient glare on her face. Aaron leaned towards Ash as if expecting something from him. "Come on buddy, help me out here. Wouldn't you do the same if you were in my position?"

Ash silently took a step away from the wolf, bowing to him mockingly in apology. Lava started to tap her foot, still waiting for her partner to give up on the matter. Feeling bad for the male Faunus, Ash changed the topic.

"It's almost noon," he stated randomly, successful in attracting attention away from Aaron. "I'm headed to the cafeteria. Seeing as the two of you seem determined to stay away from your classes, care to join me?"

"I'd like to point out that it's this idiot's fault for us being out here," Lava selfishly defended, placing all the blame on her partner. "And well, I knew he would try to steal from someone again, so I had to stop that. You know, just in case he ends up getting himself killed, and I turned out to be right… again."

Ash chuckled and together with his new friends, made their way to the cafeteria. On the way, the three exchanged stories of the past, so long as it wasn't too personal. It ended up being, Ash simply just listening to the two members of Team LAVA bicker and take turns recalling their stories, each recollection in different tone than the previous. The main difference between the two is that Aaron remembers that Lava was desperately in love with him the entire time, while Lava's was a lot more realistic.

Aaron recalled their initiation a 'fated encounter.' According to him he and Lava met up mere minutes after the initiation started and she was instantly smitten by his good looks, animalistic smile, and dangerous eyes. Together, they braved through the test, disposing of any Grimm that got in their way, and made it back to their instructors, hours before any other pair returned. Noticing that they had a clear and powerful chemistry with each other in terms of both combat and god-like appearances, he knelt down on one knee and proposed to her in front of their instructors who pulled out a basket of flowers to shower the new couple with rose petals.

Lava, however, had a completely different story. During their initiation, Lava had met up with several people prior to when she met up with Aaron, but they were already grouped together. Only after an hour and a half since the beginning did the two finally meet. She saw a pair of wolf ears just over a shrub seemingly fleeing from a large group Beowolves, with some crazed caveman screaming at the top of his lungs, 'Come get me, you damned filthy mutts!' She ran to his location and saw him on top of a hill surrounded by the pack of Beowolves, desperately trying to survive with nothing more than his weapon, a pair of daggers that doubled as machine pistols, and limited amount of Dust ammunition, an amount that was rapidly being depleted by the wolf.

Once the last of his Dust was depleted, Aaron had nothing more than a pair of daggers to fend off a pack of a dozen Beowolves, something that he wasn't going to win, at least not then. Lava jumped in and cleared the top of the hill of a few Grimm before picking up the wolf and flying off with him. He demanded her to let go, screaming that he'd kill every single Grimm in the area. She eventually did, landing and letting him go, but immediately drawing a sword she borrowed from Mistral Academy and putting it up against his throat. After a great and violent verbal debate between the two, Lava managed to talk her new partner from committing suicide, by threatening to kill him herself instead of simply becoming a steaming pile of Grimm dung.

They spent hours trying to find the artifacts they were supposed to find, dodging every Grimm along the way. And the few times that the Grimm managed to find them, Lava had to pick up Aaron before he goes into another suicidal rampage. Once they finally found the artifacts, it was already dusk. When they returned to their instructors, they were the last ones to do so.

The words exchanged between them in front of their instructors weren't that of love or commitment, but another violent verbal argument of pure hate and disdain. Before Lava was able to pick the wolf up, fly high up past the clouds and drop him, their instructors cut in and explained their faults. Aaron was too eager to fight the Grimm, unable to determine when he's overwhelmed or not. Lava was too passive, wanting to avoid every Grimm rather than fight them, and as they were training to be Hunter and Huntress, they eventually have to Grimm instead of just avoiding them.

Because he was turned away earlier, the staff offered to serve him, but he declined, saying that he would rather wait for everyone since they were about to be released from their classes. He and the two members of Team LAVA just took a seat at a nearby table, waiting for everyone else.

"So how was initiation for you?" Aaron asked, finding it unfair that they told him about theirs, but he only remained silent, also unaware that he and his partner's story took every minute of their journey there.

"The initiation was something I never participated in," Ash admitted, laughing at the convenience of the matter. "I started attending Beacon just a few weeks ago. It's the reason that I am not part of any team."

"Wait, they just let you join?" Lava asked, her wings unfolding slightly behind her back before refolding again as a sign of her confusion. She glared at him bitterly, and spoke in a venomous tone. "Oh yeah, I forgot. You're a Schnee servant. They probably just paid to get you in huh?"

"I do not appreciate the tone Miss Lava," Ash bit back, returning the glare she was giving him. Aaron stood up; ready to help his leader should a fight break out. "The Schnee family had very minimal influence to my joining Beacon. Master Schnee only gave me the permission to attend, while I kept it concealed to the two Schnee daughters."

Ash stood up as well, ready to retaliate against the two people in front of him should they continue their verbal attack. Aaron bared his fangs and snarled at Ash, while Ash just bared his fangs back at the wolf. When Aaron held still, remaining in stand by to back up his leader, Ash turned back to Lava.

"I don't mind being accused, but accusing the Schnee family guilty when they are innocent will call me to action," he threatened. She kept her glare directed at him, and remained silent, thinking about her next move. "If you so doubt my abilities as a Hunter, then why don't you duel me?"

Lava kept quiet, but continued to glare at Ash. Unable to bear the hostility directed towards his friend any longer, Aaron ducked down slightly to pounce, but Lava unfolded her wing, blocking him from attacking the butler once again.

"Ok, ok I'm sorry," Lava apologized, frustrated and regretful. Ash's anger towards the leader started to dissipate slowly, but the glare directed at her remained. "I was wrong to accuse them ok? Both of you calm down."

"That's it?" Aaron said dumbfounded by Lava's sudden passive nature. Lava retracted her wing and allowed Aaron to slam his hands on the table in frustration. "This guy just threatened us, and you're willing to just look that over?"

"He threatened _me_ Aaron," Lava countered, redirecting her glare to her partner. "But I was the one who started this entire thing in the first place. So _I_ have to be the one to decide how it ends. And what were you gonna do anyway? If you forgot already, he would've broken your arm if I didn't come along."

"He just surprised me!" Aaron countered, not caring that Ash was just a few feet away from them. "There's no way he can beat me in an actual match."

"Try it then!" Lava yelled, unable to contain herself any longer. "Fight him right now!"

Aaron turned to Ash, without his weapon, he resorted to hand to hand, getting into a fighting position, leading with his right foot. Ash turned so that his left foot was in front and raised his left hand in front of him as if he was wielding his blade in his right and his left forearm was still armored.

Aaron vaulted over the table and brought his feet towards Ash, with the intent to push through the butler's guard. Ash swatted the wolf's feet aside, turning him in the air so that they were face to face. Ash stepped in hard with his left foot and twisted his body as fast as he could and struck Aaron's chest with an open palm. Aaron was forced back several yards back, slamming his back against another table, the excess momentum being transferred to the table, sliding it back a foot or two.

Lava calmly sat down at the table and just watched her partner get thrown back past her. She stared at the butler's bandaged left arm again, wondering if he was injured or not. The fact that it was bandaged made her assume that he is injured, or at the very least was. In the event that he _was_ injured meant that his Aura was drained before they met, and that he was fighting with whatever Aura he's recovered so far.

Aaron ripped himself from the table he knocked into and charged towards the butler again. He started to glow green, and Ash jumped back to the middle isle, in an attempt to give him some room to either dodge or deflect whatever Aaron's attack may be, especially now with what Ash assumed to be his semblance. Aaron jumped high up in the air, though still quite a distance from Ash. The air around Aaron started to gather around him, allowing him to pseudo-float there for a second. Aaron pushed his right fist forward and the air coating propelled the wolf forward towards Ash at a surprising speed.

Ash planted both feet on the ground and focused his gaze on the wolf's right fist. Once Aaron was within reach, Ash grabbed the fist and pulled it to the ground by his side. Raising his right knee, Ash struck Aaron's chin; the force of his strike added to the bounce that Aaron's velocity caused when he hit the ground, forced the wolf back into the air, dazed as the blow shook his brain. With Ash still holding his wrist, Aaron's body couldn't rise too far from the ground. Once all velocity was lost, Ash let the Faunus' wrist go, before striking Aaron's diaphragm with another open palm. Aaron was knocked back a few yards again, this time with all the air in his lungs forcefully drained. Aaron landed on his back, and squirmed slightly in pain, as well as trying to re-gather air back into his lungs.

"Alright that's enough!" Glynda marched towards the Ash with anger evident in her expression. Ash relaxed his body and simply waited for the instructor to scold him. Glynda used her semblance to set everything back to normal, as she made her way over. "Care to explain what's going on here Mister Valentine?"

"I'll explain Miss Goodwitch," Lava stood up and attracted Glynda's attention with a flap of her wings. The professor stopped and stared at the owner of the wings, her eyes growing big as she realized the situation. She took a quick glance to Ash, and he simply shook his head, telling all she needed to know. "We just got into a heated argument, but one thing led to another, and I kinda told my partner to fight Ash."

"I'm going to need a little bit more than that Miss Valentine," Glynda glared at the female dragon, earning her a slightly betrayed look from Ash. "I've never met Miss Valentine before… Mister Valentine. I've merely only read her file."

Lava's wings shuddered when Glynda called both of them by their last names. Ash's expression softened a little, though remained on guard for whatever may happen, albeit from Lava, Glynda, or Aaron.

"I was provoked and in retaliation provoked them," Ash explained, confusing the professor even more. Ash walked towards the downed Faunus, and extended out his hand for him to take. Aaron, though cautious, took the hand and let Ash pull him up. "I apologize for the provocations Mister Shader. I hope you can forgive my transgression."

"Usually it's the winner who gets the apology, not the one who gives it," Lava said to herself, within earshot of the professor alone.

"He's a complicated sort, that one," Glynda explained, thinking about the similarities between him and Lava that remained mostly unknown. "He's bound to rules, but to do so he breaks others. He'll surprise you in many ways if you're not careful."

"Is that a warning or a monologue?" Lava asked, watching her partner and his new rival walk towards them.

"Consider it both."

"I apologize for my provocations Miss Lava," Ash said, as he and Aaron joined them. Ash bowed to the female dragon, causing a feeling of guilt to rise up in her. "I hope you can forgive me."

"She's not the only one you need to apologize to," Glynda cut in. Ash straightened his posture and looked at Glynda, meeting her glare. "I'm sure I don't need to remind you that you are still considered injured. Even if you're Aura came back earlier, it's been less than hour. If you had lost whatever Aura you've recovered, _my_ anger would be the least of your worries."

"I'm sorry for worrying you Miss Goodwitch," Ash apologized to her as well. "I'll make sure to apologize to Miss Schnee later."

"He's not the only one that needs to apologize," Lava said, hinting to her partner with her words and her glare. He looked away, playing innocent; a notion that Lava was prepared for. "Alright, if that's the case, then the disobedient little puppy will be fighting against the servant again."

"That's fine," Aaron said with a faked smile, trying desperately to keep his pride. "I wasn't even trying anyway."

"I'd have to gain permission from my mistress first Miss Lava," Ash explained, the situation forcing the female dragon to groan in annoyance. "Though the chances of her allowing me will be slim after I've explained my transgression."

"And you _have_ to tell her?" Lava asked, emphasizing the word 'have' to get the hidden meaning across to him. He nodded and she groaned in annoyance again. "You know what? That's fine. I'll just talk to her about it. Nothing like a little girl talk to convince her."

The four of them waited there for other students to flood the room. Glynda checked Ash's bandages and other wounds for any signs of his injuries opening or otherwise worsening. Lava scolded Aaron on his temper and his inability to read the situation, making it worse than it has to be. Soon the other students came in, most of them stopping to stare at the winged girl. Those who were awake when Ash told them that dragons were extinct had a mixed expression of confusion and bewilderment. Some of those were Teams RWBY and JNPR. Even though Ash immediately defused the declaration to them, none ever thought to actually meet a dragon.

Ash bowed to his friends before returning to Glynda, Lava, and Aaron. He and Glynda were discussing the times they'd be able to use the arena for the duel, should Weiss allow him. While Lava and Aaron continued to discuss his faults against Ash earlier, fully aware of the stares they were accumulating. Ash walked up to his friends, once he managed to convince the blonde professor to give permission for the duel, though ended up having to compromise with her.

"I'll introduce them as well as explain the situation we're in in a little while," he told them, causing more confusion than relief. "Please, the eight of you go ahead and eat."

They did as Ash requested and went to grab their food, with guesses of whatever the 'situation' was. They sat down at a table, a team on each side and started to eat, though rather slowly. Ash walked up to one end of the table with Lava and Aaron in tow. They gave him their attention, anticipating their questions to be answered.

"Everyone, this is Lava Valentine," Ash began to introduce them, first motioning to the female dragon then moving on to the wolf. "And this is Aaron Shader; third year students from Mistral, and members of Team LAVA. No, Miss Valkyrie, we are not related."

Nora sank down in her seat and continued to eat, with the only question and follow-up question in her mind answered.

"Miss Lava, Mister Shader, these are Teams RWBY and JNPR," he continued the introduction, motioning to each person as he introduced them. They greeted the two, now waiting for an explanation of the situation. "To keep this brief, Mister Shader and I had a fallout earlier and Miss Lava wants us to deal with it once and for all. Miss Goodwitch allowed us to settle all of this with a duel later during class. "

"You barely got your Aura back," Weiss cut in, pulling out his scroll and showing him the screen with his Aura level already present. It read that Ash had only just recovered fifteen percent of his Aura, just at the critical level. "You're already rearing to duel someone? Think of your safety for once Ash."

"Weiss, come on, Ash told me a lot of good things about you," Lava openly lied, smiling at the heiress. Weiss glared at her, not trusting her despite her similarities to her servant and that Ash seemed to trust her enough. "Don't you trust him?"

"With my life," Weiss responded, and before Lava could speak again, thinking that she's trapped the heiress, Weiss added more. "However, I do not trust him with _his_ life."

"Oh so this what you meant," Lava said, turning to Ash. He only nodded as he retrieved his scroll from Weiss, thanking her for the 'care' she treated him to. "Ok listen, I just want to see these two idiots beat the living crap out of each other."

"While I slightly share the feeling," Weiss admitted, as she went back to eating. " _My_ idiot still doesn't have his Aura all back to normal. And even if he did, I still won't allow him, because I don't see a reason for him to prove himself to me."

"I'd stop after that miss," Yang said laid back, but with a hint of mischief mixed in. "She loves him too much to see him get hurt twice in one day."

"Miss Xiao Long," Ash called out, smiling at the brawler, though she took it as a warning. "I thought we made a deal for you to never bring that up ever again."

"We also made a deal for you to make me Sunrises for five days," Yang reminded him, her mischief continuing. "It's only been one."

"I haven't forgotten about my promises Miss Xiao Long," Ash defended, feeling himself get hungrier as time went on. He tried to ignore it, finding it rude to simply walk away to grab food in the middle of a conversation. "You know that there have been consecutive circumstances that prevented me from doing so. I assure you that I plan to resume tomorrow."

"I'll hold you to that."

"Ok?" Lava said accidently said out loud, confused by their conversation, though unsure whether or not she wanted to know more. She turned back to Weiss, determined to sway her. "Listen, surely you can trust him even a little can't you?"

As if perfectly timed for Weiss' argument, Ash's stomach made its pain known to the group.

"Case and point," Weiss simply said while Nora, Yang, and Ruby tried to contain their laughter, and Lava glared at Ash for his impeccable timing. Weiss let out a sigh, remembering her goal to even out her list with Ash. "Ash, do you want to duel him?"

"Only if you'll allow me Miss Schnee," he said bowing to her, his eyes closed, awaiting her words. Weiss thumbed her Boreal locket, and thought about conditions that were understandable, and that she could influence should something happen.

"Alright, I'll allow it, in one condition," she said, looking to Lava with intent and threat. "I get to add one rule to their duel, one rule of my choosing. I swear to make it fair for the two of them. Accept that, and I'll allow it."

"That's fine with me," Lava accepted, but another thought came to her. "But, let me add one too. Actually, why not let the girls add one rule each? It'll be a lot more fun that way."

"I'm in," Yang said immediately. Standing up to examine the two combatants to make her rule as fair as possible.

"No thanks," Blake dismissed, biting into a fruit whilst she read her book, barely listening to the conversation. "Also, shouldn't you go eat Ash?"

"After a consensus has been reached Miss Belladonna, but thank you," he responded, trying to control his hunger, with the food around him.

"Nora you're not allowed," Jaune chimed in before his teammate could say what's in her mind.

"What? Why?" Nora exclaimed, disappointed and angry with her leader. "I was just going to say that I become a third person in the arena with them."

"Point proven," Jaune simply said, before going back to eating his food. Nora continued to complain, but Jaune had already tuned the girl out and was unable to hear any of it.

"Very well," Weiss accepted, realizing that there was no negotiating for another condition. She turned to Ash, and he met her gaze with a curious expression, as if waiting for her to give him an order. She let out a sigh; slightly frustrated that he remained neutral to the condition she's agreed to, or at the very least, holding back whatever opinion he may have on the matter. "Ash, go eat before you collapse and fall ill again."

He bowed to her before disappearing to get food with Lava and Aaron following soon after him. Weiss returned to her food and simply ate, her thoughts about her servant's decision, and his predicament of having another dragon by his side.

"A living dragon," Pyrrha muttered out loud, waiting till she was absolutely sure that Lava was no longer within earshot. "She couldn't be the dragon that was involved in the incident could she?"

"No, she isn't," Weiss unconsciously defused. "The child in that incident was male."

"So there's _two_ dragons alive right now?" Nora asked excitedly, with one outcome running through her mind. "And there's one boy and one girl. That means they can make ALL the babies! Dragons don't have to be endangered anymore!"

"Nora, they don't have to be the parents for that outcome to come true," Ren explained to his friend. Feeling slightly awkward that he has to explain Faunus mating at all. "A dragon and a human can either have a dragon or a human child as it is still a genetic outcome. The offspring of a dragon and another Faunus of a different breed may be different from his or her parents, or even be one of them. Though you are right that if the two of them parent a child, that child will be a dragon."

"Why leave it to chance?" Nora asked, still confused.

"What if they already have someone in mind Nora?" Ren countered, silencing his friend as she realized his point.

"It's also a choice Miss Valkyrie," Ash further explained, walking up to them with the two members of Team LAVA in tow. The three of them sat at a vacant table nearby. "As I said before, the dragons were hunted down for their wings. The child I mentioned before was rather… estranged to the thought of having a child last I checked. His reasoning was along the lines of 'less lives to ruin.'"

Without saying anything else, Ash started to eat. And no one else dared to bring up anything related to the breed, much to Lava's relief and disappointment.

What Ash said kept ringing through her head: in Atlas there's another dragon that would rather die than bringing up a child in the world where he or she might be hunted down for the wings on his or her back. Back in Haven, that was something that she had no problem with, though in the past, there were people like that, which begs the question: Are there people still hunting for dragon wings in Atlas? If so, why isn't anyone doing anything about it, seeing as there's only the one?

She looked to Ash for a second, and he stopped eating for a moment to meet her gaze. She had more questions, and she wants them answered no matter what, no matter how; he knew that. He wouldn't answer, no matter what happens, no matter what anyone says, no matter what she does; she knew that. There's only one person present that has the ability to force the answers out of him; they both knew that. But would she comply to ask them? Neither knew that.

"Lava! Aaron!" another unknown voice called out. Ash turned to the sound of the voice along with the two Faunus in front of him.

Jogging towards them was a human male with bouncing shoulder length brown hair against a pale complexion and seemingly glowing sea green eyes. He seemed to be a little more muscular, and was able to compete with Team CFVY's Yatsuhashi in height, but looks can be deceiving – case and point Cardin. He wore a simple black jacket, open to show the white shirt underneath. Like Aaron, he wore a pair of dark blue jeans, and like Lava he wore a shoes that could be mistaken to be the Beacon regulation shoes.

"Jeez, why did you guys ditch us like that?" he continued as he reached the table his teammates were at. He panned slightly to the side and saw Ash quietly eating. "Who's the new guy?"

"Ash Valentine, Weiss Schnee's butler," Lava introduced, motioning to the white haired girl at the adjacent table. Ash stopped eating for a moment and gave the new human a nod as a greeting, before going back to eating. "A single comment about our last names and I drop you at Mountain Glenn. Ash, this is Team LAVA's heavy hitter, Aiden Galatine. Hey, where's— Ah, there she is."

Lava stood up and waved her arm in the air, motioning for her final teammate. Ash looked up one more time in the direction Lava was facing. Already jogging towards them was another young woman. She looked to be human with the lack of any obvious Faunus appendage, unless she was like Ash.

She was pale like Lava, only with a head of long crimson hair, and matching crimson red eyes that made it seem like her sclera was constantly ablaze. She wore a red, waist length vest over a white blouse, both hugging her petite body tightly. She wore a pair of black fingerless glove and a golden ring around her left ring finger. Below her waist, she wore a pair of slim straight jeans, showing off the very shape of her legs, with the denim hanging slightly at her ankles. Unlike Lava, she wore a pair of black-heeled wedge boots. A trait that made her stand out from the rest of her team was shorter than all of them. She stood an inch or two shorter than Ruby.

"This little demon of an angel is Valora Hood," Lava motioned to the human girl. Ash stole a glance at her left hand, mainly the ring on her finger. Lava let out a sigh, feeling slight disappointment at the butler. "Yeah, don't bother. She's been spoken for, ever since she was a kid. Well, not really, but might as well be. Oh yeah, that's Ash, Valora."

"I apologize Miss Hood," Ash quickly defended. "I didn't mean to stare, nor express the wrong idea."

"What's with…?" Valora turned to her teammates questioning the butler's way of addressing another. Unnerved by the sudden change in formality, she took a single step back from Ash.

"Oh don't worry about it," Aaron vaguely explained, simply waving his hand at the air as if brushing something invisible. "There's no getting around it, so might as well get used to it."

"Despite how he looks right now, he's a butler," Lava further explained. She motioned to the adjacent table again, pointing at Weiss. "See the girl with the white hair? He works for her."

"That's Weiss Schnee," Valora said stunned, taking in Weiss' form before going back to Ash. "But wait, aren't you a little too young to be a butler?"

"Not necessarily Miss Hood," Ash prepared to explain, swallowing whatever food he had in his mouth, and drinking some water just in case she needed a more thorough explanation. "There's no age requirement for such a position. I started working for the Schnee family ever since I was a child – eleven years now."

"Is that why you wear gloves too?" Aaron asked mockingly, getting a sharp, and not so friendly nudge from Lava's elbow. He quickly turned to her with an annoyed expression. "What? It's to keep his hands clean right?"

"You are partially correct Mister Shader," Ash took his gloves and showed the four of them his bare hand, the scars he received from the hooks dug into each palm when he was a kid. His palms remained half scar tissue ever since the wounds have healed. Different from the chest scars he received from the Beowolves, which were now no more than faint lines. "As you can see, I wear gloves to hide my hands."

"What happened to you?" Valora unconsciously asked, as Lava took his hands and examined them more carefully.

"Trust me," Yang chimed in from the other table. Everyone but Lava turned to the sound of her voice, where all eight of them were looking over at them. "You don't want to know. It's like they say right? 'Ignorance is bliss.'"

"So then you know?" Aiden asked, his tone would've given away his curiosity, but his unusually deep voice hid the fact well.

"Nope," Yang quickly answered, popping the P. "That's why I'm in bliss right now, and I wanna stay like that, so I'm gonna do my damn best to never find out."

"Somehow I doubt your words Miss Xiao Long, but I appreciate the sentiment they represent nonetheless," Ash said, flashing her a grateful smile and bowing slightly in appreciation. Yang glared at him unsure whether or not he was simply playing with her.

"Ok, so I'm just gonna ask," Yang said, both unsure and guilty, rocking back and forth on her seat. "We're still doing the every girl adding a rule right?"

"I don't see a problem in it?" Ash replied, curious as to why she asked. "What was it that you had in mind Miss Xiao Long?"

"Ok, neither of you can wear a top," she said shamelessly, bringing out her scroll with a mischievous smile. Weiss turned to her teammate in disgust, stunned as why she would suggest such a thing… that is until she remembered that it was Yang Xiao Long. "What? Do you know how much lien a picture topless Ash will go for right now? Ever since he beat the snot out of Team CRDL, the Faunus girls suddenly wanted one."

"And I believe my doubt has been justified," Ash said with a sigh, disappointed in himself forever trusting the brawler's words. Lava felt bad for her new friend, but in the end decided that it was mainly his fault for not anticipating such a thing from one of his friends. "Miss Xiao Long, surely you haven't forgotten that I am trying to conceal something. I simply cannot agree to this added rule."

Seemingly out of nowhere, Nora stood up and produced a black skin tight thermal wear that will ensure Ash's secret safe, but still reveal the rest of his body. With both Yang and Nora working against him, Ash realized that he was soon cornered, and agreed to the rule.

Aaron on the other hand, had absolutely no problem revealing his body to the public, especially since Lava will be there to watch the entire thing. Ash may have surprised him before, but this time it's different. He will be more focused, and this time, he'll have his trusted weapon in hand.

"There's eight of you," Valora reminded them, utterly confused by the mention of Ash's secret. "You guys haven't tried to hold him down and just you know…?"

"Actually if we do try, it's just seven if us," Ruby explained as best as she could. She moved her eyes between them and Weiss several times hoping they got the idea. " _One_ of us knows his secret and she and Ash will probably try to kill us if we tried. Plus it kinda looks bad if we pin him down and try and rip his shirt off."

The thought of seven – or eight – people on top of the butler, trying to rip his clothes off came rushing to Valora's mind, and it was an image she'd rather live with the image out of her mind than to keep it there for another second.

Lava on the other hand, was bold. She grabbed Ash's shirt and tried to pull on it till it ripped, but Ash grabbed her by the wrist, and squeezed forcing her to loosen her grip before he threw her behind his back. The retaliation caught her off guard and he managed to fling her half way up to the ceiling, where she spread her wings and stabilized herself.

Some students reacted negatively, ducking in fear and cursing at the dragon in flight. Aaron immediately grabbed Ash by the collar and raised his opposite hand curled up in a tight fist. Before he could throw it, Ash grabbed the wolf by the wrist and squeezed down on it just as he'd done to Lava. Aaron's grip loosened and eventually the pain caught up to Aaron, disabling him from throwing his punch. Before the other two members of Team LAVA could join in, Lava quickly got in between them.

"Don't, we're outnumbered," she told them, telling them to look behind them with her eyes. They turned and found eight hostile students, ready to attack, one especially ready to incapacitate them with whatever Dust she carried in her small pouch. Lava turned to Ash who was glaring at her, marking her as an enemy as well as the wolf behind him and the two humans by her. "Sorry about that Ash. I couldn't help myself, I just needed to check."

"No. No, you didn't," Ash said filled with hostility, nearly as much as he had against Team CRDL. He let the wolf's wrist go, and took a step back to keep all four in his sight.

"Relax, relax, we won't do anything," Lava said submissively, raising her hands in the air surrendering for the moment. Ash remained on guard of her as she drew closer, and returned in a fighting stance when she was only a couple yards away. "Really, I won't do anything. I just wanted to try. I thought maybe I could surprise you."

Ash lowered his hands and simply walked past her and picked up his tray of food, disposing of it before going to Weiss. He bowed to her and spoke quietly, ensuring that only she was able to hear him clearly, not caring even if some of his words landed upon someone else's ears. She gave him a nod, and he turned to exit the cafeteria, though stopping for before he reached the exit.

He turned around again and made his way to Lava. Aaron tensed and stood on guard, ready to react to whatever the butler had in mind. Aiden and Valora just waited, thought ready to react like Aaron. Ash stopped two yards away from her, both out of each other's reach, even Lava's wings.

"If it's all the same to you Miss Lava, I'd like to add something to duel," he simply requested. Lava nodded once, acknowledging that he's earned it if anything else. "It's shall be you I duel, not Mister Shader."

"You got it," Lava replied, her wings unfolding and refolding in anticipation.

Aaron stood down, and relaxed, though in disbelief that his chance to show off in front of Lava just disappeared. He looked at his right wrist, slightly perplexed. The only one that ever managed to force his grip loose by squeezing his wrist was Lava, and that was due to her increased strength. How could a human do the same, when he proved to be slightly stronger than any other human they'd met so far? He looked back up and found that Ash was already gone, but his leader continued to stare at the door he went through. She had a puzzled and hopeful expression as if she was trying to solve a riddle just by staring at it. Though at the same time, there was a bitter grim expression mixed in.

Team RWBY and JNPR, sat down again, though more cautious of the senior team that just openly attacked their friend, Weiss more than any of them. However, another thought than just hostility towards the other team filled her. A sneaking excitement started to swell within her. After all, it isn't everyday one gets to witness this kind of duel: dragon vs. dragon.


	17. (Extra) Keep Moving Forward

Ash opened his eyes and found himself in a series of grassy hills, similar to the one he and his mother last had their peaceful moments together, and nevertheless it was strangely familiar. When he would usually be floating above this memory, his feet were set on the ground. Moreover, he's not an astral projection.

"Is this a dream?" he asked out loud, his voice echoing throughout the field. He stood there in disbelief, as he tried to convince himself that it _was_ just a dream. However, he was able to feel the ground, the wind, and the slight heat.

"Who are you?" a male voice echoed in the field as well. Ash looked around to find the owner of the voice, but the echoing made it nearly impossible to pinpoint his location. "Over here, under the tree."

Ash looked for the tree mentioned and found one in the distance, but to be able to hear a voice that came from there so clearly, is by all means impossible. Nevertheless, Ash started walking towards the tree.

"You still didn't answer my question," the voice reminded him. Though it'll always be strange that he was able to hear a voice – to hold a conversation – from so far away without the aid of a scroll, Ash kept as calm as he could. "Who are you?"

"My name's Ash," the butler answered, looking around to see if some camera was following him around and that this entire situation is nothing more than a well-planned prank. "Ash Valentine."

"I don't recognize you Ash," the voice admitted, with a little caution present but warm and welcoming overall. "Usually I'd recognize anyone that gets lost here."

"I'm simply another person," Ash replied. "But more importantly, where is _here_?"

"It's kinda a dream, I guess," the voice replied, confusing the butler even further.

"You _guess_?" Ash continued to walk towards the tree, but it didn't seem to be getting any closer no matter how much he walked.

"It's been a while, but this kind of thing is just something I can't get used to," the voice said honestly. Ash started to run, curious as to whom the person he's talking to is, and just what is this world they were in.

"I think I understand what you mean," Ash replied, knowing that if he was in the same position as this person, there'd be no possible way he'd ever get used to it. The world defied all understanding. The only things that made sense were the peaceful setting and that there's gravity wherever they were. "I've told you who I am, care to do the same?"

"Keep going, you're almost there," the voice ignored him, with a chuckle. Ash focused on the tree and sure enough, it was definitely closer. Within a few minutes, Ash made it under the shade of the tree.

He looked around, but saw no one that the voice could have belonged to. The only person that seemed to be around was Ash himself. A stone tablet on the ground at the base of the tree caught his attention, and he went up to it to investigate.

The stone was rectangular in shape and chiseled to look like a picture frame. In the middle of the upper portion was a symbol: what looked to be a calligraphic circle with small check marks on it. A signature. Underneath it was a short phrase.

 _Friend, artist, and inspiration to us all._

A grave. Ash knelt down in front of the grave and closed his eyes, sending a silent prayer of peaceful rest to the one it belonged to. There was nothing else on the gravestone. No name or years that could date this person.

"So Ash, who are you really?" the voice made its presence known again. This time, however, there was no echo, rather it was almost as if there was another person there with him underneath the tree.

"I'm sorry, but I don't understand," Ash replied, opening his eyes and standing up. He looked around for the owner of the voice again, but found no one.

"I don't recognize you," the voice repeated again, this time with a laugh.

"Yes, you may have mentioned that before," Ash said sarcastically, playing along with the voice.

"There shouldn't be any major appearances until much later," the voice contemplated out loud. "Tell me, how long ago did the Vytal Festival end?"

"The festival has yet to begin," Ash answered confused, that is unless he meant the last one. "Students have just settled into Beacon."

"That's strange, it should've already ended," the voice admitted curiously. "Then that actually explains why I don't recognize you."

"Care to share?" Ash asked, sitting at the base of the tree next to the sole grave. A cool breeze blew by as the voice laughed lightly at the confusion he's causing to the butler.

"Sorry, but it's not for me to explain," the voice replied.

Another breeze blew by, but stronger, causing the flowers of the field and the leaves of the tree to shake. The peaceful balance between heat and cool is enough for Ash to feel a little drowsy; the only thing that kept him awake was the trained feeling of threat in an unfamiliar place. However, some voice in his head kept telling him there is no place more peaceful as this every time the feeling arose.

"Then who will?" Ash asked, dropping his eyes to the grave hoping that it won't be whoever it is that's buried that'll explain.

"Sorry, still not something I can explain," the voice apologized, though amused. "The most I can tell you is that you'll never meet."

"Why? Is he or she gone too?" Ash asked, his eyes still trained on the grave.

"'Too?'" the voice echoed, before it took note of what it was that Ash was staring at. The voice laughed, albeit with a somber tone. "No, this person is still alive. He or she may actually be only a few years older than you."

"You've never met?" Ash asked, looking around, trying to at the very least track where the voice is coming from.

"We may have, I'm not really sure," the voice admitted. Ash let out an exasperated sigh, figuring that the topic won't be going any further. After a minute of silence, the voice spoke again. "So Ash, tell me about yourself."

"Hmm? What do you want to know?" Ash asked, finding it strange that he immediately trusted the voice; though the though soon disappeared when the voice answered.

"Just anything," the voice said indifferently. "What do you do? What have you done? Who're your friends? Basically anything that you doesn't make you uncomfortable."

"What makes me uncomfortable is that I don't know who I'm talking to," Ash admitted, laughing at the feeling of insecurity. The voice gave a laugh too. "But I'm guessing it's something you can't tell me either."

"Hey, you're catching on," the voice mused.

"Again, my name's Ash Valentine," Ash introduced himself again. "Currently I am a Hunter-in-training at Beacon Academy. As I joined late, I am the only student there that has no team. Although, Team RWBY accepted me as an unofficial member."

"Must be hard," the voice quickly commented, before letting Ash continue.

"At times, but my mistress no longer worries as much about my decisions," the butler explained, and by the way that there was no reaction from the voice, Ash understood that it knew what he meant. "My desire is to continue to be useful to Miss Schnee, and so prior to this, I made a request to the Beacon staff which disables them from aiding me against Grimm. Unfortunately, due to a blunder during my first encounter with Beowolves, I nearly lost my life, in front of my mistress no less."

"But you seem like a strong Hunter already," the voice admitted, inciting a laugh from Ash.

"I was only trained to combat against people," Ash further explained. "I thought I would be able to handle a couple of Beowolves at least, but as I said, a blunder."

Yet another breeze went by, softer than the others but lasting longer, enough to gently lull the butler to sleep, but he resisted. Ash looked around once more, trying to find the owner of the voice once more, but failed to do so. A single thought came to him, trying to add two and two together: peaceful scenery, a single grave undisturbed, and a disembodied voice.

The thought was ridiculous, but it was a theory that made sense. To suddenly accuse the voice he's been speaking to, as a specter seemed both unnerving should he confirm it true, or rude should he disprove the claim.

"I didn't think there would be any difference between people and Grimm if you're well trained," the voice replied, curiosity in his tone. Ash gave a hum in reply, closing his eyes to feel the constant small breeze flowing by.

"I didn't as well, until that day," Ash replied, unable to stop a yawn from getting out. "I apologize. I don't know why I'm so tired today."

"I do," the voice said, chuckling a little as the butler's head drooped down.

"But you can't tell me can you?" Ash guessed, his consciousness being wisped away by the wind. "I guess it can't be helped then."

"There's going to be a lot of hardships ahead Ash," the voice told the butler, watching Ash's form shimmer and flicker. Ash looked up groggily, swearing that for a moment, he saw the figure of a man that emanated a warm and almost fatherly light and spoke to him. "Keep moving forward."

"Rest in peace Mister," Ash said, his eyes closing and his head dropping down. With that, his form shimmered brightly before disappearing into several orbs of light slowly floating up into the sky, before disappearing into nothing.

* * *

The grass, flowers, and leaves became peaceful once more; the breeze that blew on them seemingly disappeared when the otherworldly invader disappeared. The endless world closed in to the tree and the grave a slight bit, now the end of the world was in view. The air seemingly warping, and beyond it was nothing more than pure white. Now the world was reduced to just the grave and the tree, along with a half a mile radius of grass, flowers, and small hills.

"I know you're there," the voice said, his tone carried a tired tone as it echoed through the now limited world. "It's your dream, why don't you just give yourself a body?"

"It's like you said," I replied, my own voice echoing like his. "It's because I know this is just a dream. For right now, I am not real, and you're just a figment of my own imagination, just like Ash is."

"One would think that you'd actually be happy," he said, now a bit of curiosity in his voice. "We've never met, so even just simulating a meeting, it'd make sense for someone in your situation to be happy."

"We've met," I negatively counter. He was a figment of my imagination, even if we were different beings in this dream, he was still a part of my mind; he knew what I was thinking. "I've never met Monty. You're not Monty. I'm technically not even me."

"Guess you're right," he replied, giving up trying to convince me. He wasn't Monty. Monty wouldn't give up like that. The world flickered once, everything became white for a brief moment and we knew what was happening. I was waking up in the real world.

Even though I knew – I convinced myself – that this entire thing was just a dream; I couldn't help but feel a bitter feeling of sentimentality and regret. I didn't want this dream to end, to pretend that the being that I was actually talking to was actually talking to Monty, but there was no stopping it.

The world flickered once more, then twice, then still again. I let out a frustrated yell that the figment of my imagination didn't find strange – then again, he was probably expecting it.

"I wanted to meet you," I admit, the need for air, lacking in this dream of mine. He laughed. I was in regret. "I was still in high school when you… went into a coma. I planned to come meet you after I graduated"

"I'm not Monty," he reminded me.

I began to laugh. Laugh at what I was about to do. To swallow myself in self-pity, using this dream to vent.

"Humor me," I told him.

"Keep moving forward," he repeated, as I was always under the impression that it would be that phrase that Monty would say to me, though I knew the probability was zero. Either way, it was enough for me. "I'm happy to have been a part of your life."

"Thanks," I say, a bit choked.

The world flickered once more, and then it never returned. I, or rather my consciousness or whatever I was, simply existed in a place that was pure white. I was waking up. Why did it have to end there?

"Hey listen," I said, trying to get one more thought out before everything melts into the familiar scenery of my shadow covered ceiling. "I'll keep moving forward, but it's ok if I look back once in a while right?"

I never got an answer.

* * *

The day went by like normal and it was now well past noon. Team RWBY, JNPR, and Ash were now in Professor Goodwitch's class, with her teaching about basic combat and the importance of the basics right after a duel between two of her students.

Everything was normal. Many of the students weren't paying much attention, thinking that the basics won't be able to be much of help to them now in terms of growth. Pyrrha, Ren, and Weiss were paying attention as usual, while Ruby and Jaune tried to pay as much attention as they possibly could – especially Jaune who was looking for something to drastically improve his combat ability as to not drag his partner down. Yang and Nora were asleep, while Blake read her book. Surprisingly, Ash was asleep as well, his arms crossed on the table with his head down on them.

Glynda took notice of this, and while she was used to Yang and Nora, it annoyed her that Ash was sleeping as well. She stopped teaching for a moment, walking towards the butler. She readied her riding crop to bring his consciousness back to reality, and his attention back to her.

With a crack of her weapon, she struck the wood near his head. The loud noise brought many sleeping students' consciousness back to them, including Yang and Nora's, all of them immediately sitting up straight, but Ash only stirred. His consciousness was back, that's for sure, but his reaction wasn't as immediate as the others. Slowly he lifted his head off his forearms, and looked up at the professor.

"Mister Valentine, how dare you sleep in my—" the professor started, but immediately cut herself off when she saw a single crystal tear drop flowed from Ash's left eye. He reacted to that faster than he reacted to her riding crop, wiping at his cheek to rid it of the liquid. Glynda quickly turned from a strict professor to a concerned mother. "Are you alright Ash?"

"I'm sorry Miss Goodwitch," he replied, wiping at both eyes to get rid of any evidence of him crying. He tried to remember what had made him do so in the first place, but it was already mostly gone from his memory. The only thing that remained was the image of a shadow of a tree against a white backdrop. "I don't know what came over me. I just… I just had a dream, I guess."

"You guess?" Glynda echoed. When Ash said nothing more, she knew that there would be no point in continuing to interrogate him any further. Whatever it was, even he didn't know. She looked to the rest of her class, all of them staring at her for something. She had to continue lecturing, even if it meant not being able to help her student. "Well, if you're sure you're alright."

Glynda went back to teaching, feeling guilty about the situation. Teams RWBY, and JNPR stared at Ash, hoping for at least a brief explanation, but he wouldn't even turn to them. For the rest of the class, Ash just stared in to space, distracted by his active mind.

The day continued, with Ash hardly speaking a word. Soon the sun had begun to set, illuminating the hills by Beacon in a peaceful glow with a bright crimson sky behind it. Ash stood on the rooftop where Jaune usually came to train with Pyrrha, leaning on the bars, simply staring out into the horizon, still trying to find the memory that had made him shed a tear. The door opened behind him and Team RWBY joined him on the roof.

"Hey Ash you ok?" Ruby asked as the four of them joined him near the edge. He just nodded once without doing so much as look at them. "It's ok to cry, you know. No one's gonna judge you for it."

"I'm not thinking about the fact that I shed a tear Miss Rose," he explained rather solemnly. His eyes continued to stare at the horizon, as if determined that he'd find the answer somewhere in the crimson and orange dyed sky. "I'm thinking about my reason for doing so."

"So what is the reason?" Yang asked, leaning on the bars like he was, staring at the horizon herself, trying to find what Ash was looking for.

"If only I knew Miss Xiao Long," he admitted with a regretful laugh. "The logical reason would be a dream, but I woke up unable to remember what that dream was. I thought it would come back to me after some time, but as you can see that theory proved to be false."

Ash panned across the horizon once more, ending at him staring at the hills nearby Beacon. The setting sun, forcing the illusion that it was nothing more than a shadow, illuminated a lone tree. Ash pushed off the railing and moved to another side of the bars, trying to get a closer look at the tree.

"What? Do you see something?" Weiss asked, walking towards him until they were side by side, looking at hills against the setting sun. She saw nothing unusual, but apparently her servant did.

"That tree seems familiar," he vaguely explained. The members of Team RWBY looked at each other, before looking to the tree he mentioned. "It's as if there's something there that wants to be found, or something is compelling me to find it."

"Ummm Ash?" Ruby called, leaning in closer hoping to see something, but unfortunately found nothing. "It's just a tree. You're gonna go check aren't you?"

"Yes, if the four of you will excuse me," he said, already moving towards the door. A hand clamping on to his shoulder stopped him in his tracks. He turned and found the left hand of his mistress on his shoulder, as well as all four of Team RWBY smiling at him. "Alright, then I guess we go together."

Though it took some time for the five of them to find the tree again after they got out of the maze that is Beacon, their objective was finally back in sight. Ash led them, being more eager to find it than the four behind him combined, for a reason, not even he knew. Trudging through the grassy hills that surrounded the academy, they reached the base of the tree.

A glory red maple tree stood alone in rolling grassy hills. Its trunk is slender and its leaves vibrant. It provided good shade with its branches stretching out a good five yards from the trunk. Just at the base, not a few feet from the base was a single rectangular gravestone that seemed to have been recently cleaned.

It stood a foot tall, was at least eighteen inches in length, and a foot in width. It was made of smooth, white marble, chiseled to imitate that of an elegant picture frame. In the top middle was a calligraphic circle with small checkmarks engraved in to it. Below that was a short phrase.

 _Friend, artist, and inspiration to us all._

And below that, was yet another phrase, three simple words in quotations.

 _"Keep moving forward."_

Ash knelt down on one knee in front of it, while Team RWBY stood back and watched. A feeling of tranquility and sorrow engulfed them all, but none had the desire to show it. Ruby tried to take a step forward, but the feeling of sorrow grew within her, trying desperately to claw its way out. She pulled her foot back and the feeling grew less intense, but to her it was, more than ever, prominent.

For what seemed like hours, Ash remained still, until he finally moved his hand, wiping away at his left eyes where a tear dared to escape. He suffered the feeling of his heart being gripped through his chest by an invisible hand, but he stayed. Though the entity's grip tightened around his heart, it was strangely warm and comforting, as if reassuring him safety even as it tightened its grip, as if to pop a water balloon. For what reason he felt this way, he did not know. For what reason he was compelled to find this area, he did not know. For what reason he felt safe in this area, _that_ he knew. For some reason, he knew that this small area, that may be insignificant to the world, is true sanctuary. An area that not even the Grimm would disturb.

"I see you found this place," Ozpin's voice slightly echoed in the silence of the plains. Team RWBY turned to the sound of his voice, while Ash did not. Behind him was Glynda Goodwitch, who did not bother to put up her façade of a strict professor. "No one knows who is buried under this tree. There are no records, not as much as a name on the gravestone. Digging up someone's resting place, just to figure out who they are hardly seems decent, so we may never know."

"This place feels…" Blake trailed off, as if put in a trance in the middle of her sentence.

"Safe?" Ozpin offered as a cool, gentle breeze whistled by them. Blake could only nod as she and her teammates felt the feeling of sorrow fly away along with the wind, replaced by nostalgia.

Glynda walked past them and stopped next to Ash, lowering herself to his level and placing a hand on his shoulder. He turned to her in response to her touch and she witnessed yet another crystal tear escape from the butler's eyes and fall to the ground.

"You knew this person?" she asked him softly, her words escaping the ears of the five behind them, who simply watched an event that was similar to that of a mother comforting her child. Ash turned his attention back to the gravestone, reading the phrases again in search for a clue as to whom it belonged to.

"Unfortunately no, but I feel like I should," he explained, keeping his voice quiet like she did. He turned to her again, with another crystal flowing down his cheek. "Why do I feel like this, when I've never even met this person? Why do I suddenly feel like I've lost a part of me that I can't ever get back?"

"That's because you're trying to repress your sorrow," Glynda told the boy, moving her hand from his shoulder to his cheek, wiping away a fresh tear with her thumb. "You may not know who this person is, but even so I believe that he or she is trying to help you. Telling you to stop trying to quell your sorrow, and…"

Glynda pointed to the gravestone with her other hand, and Ash turned to it. She had a slender finger, on the bottom phrase.

"'Keep moving forward,'" Ash read out loud. Though he couldn't see, Glynda was smiling as she nodded at the boy. Glynda retracted her hands back to her side and waited for Ash to accept what she had said, and what the gravestone read. "Thank you, Glynda."

"Don't keep it bottled up Ash," she continued her motherly guidance, standing up, soon followed by Ash. She gently turned him to her and embraced the boy like a mother would her child. He accepted the gesture and leaned in to her warmth. "I know it may seem rather primitive, but sometimes something as simple as shouting could be just what you need. Though being a dragon, maybe you'd prefer roaring."

"Dragons roaring… I never pegged you to believe in such fairy tales," Ash said, his voice slightly muffled by her blouse. She laughed softly, before letting the butler go and follow her advice.

Ash walked up a hill, feeling another breeze blow by, this time, warm. He breathed in deeply and roared, letting his anguish be carried by the wind, and his voice echo throughout Vale.

Everyone in Beacon and everyone in Vale, at that moment, stopped whatever it was they were doing. Vehicles stopped wherever they were, meetings and conversations abruptly stopped in the middle of sentences, and even infants stopped their crying. They all simply listened to the roar carried by the wind. A roar that they can only describe as 'loss.'

* * *

 **October 21, 2016**

 **The Night Chapter 1 Was Completed**

 **I know, there are other stories that have done this. But I figured I'd share the reason why I decided to post this story in the first place.**


	18. Then I'd Change It

Time passed slowly for Teams RWBY, JNPR, and LAVA ever since Ash left. Weiss constantly held a feeling of enmity towards Team LAVA, especially the leader. While she didn't show any sign of acting upon that feeling, simply just freely express it towards them. The rest of Team RWBY and JNPR, held a similar feeling, but more caution that Weiss' spite. They simply held back in respect to Ash's decision to handle it in his own way. Though Weiss thought differently. If it were simply out of direct animosity and vindictiveness towards his fellow dragon, she found no reason for him to wait. It may be something else, something more out of curiosity than just negativity. Nevertheless, it would be nothing more than just pure speculation.

Team LAVA spoke within their circle, aware of the mixed feelings of spite and curiosity directed towards them – not just from the two teams adjacent to them, but from other students as well. All four were done with their meal and merely argued about decisions somewhat selfish decision to face the butler herself. Aiden and Valora mostly kept quiet and to themselves while Aaron uselessly argued with their leader, only chiming in when Lava made a valid point, as they've never known for Aaron to be even capable of creating one.

"I still don't understand why he challenged you," Aaron asked, constantly dancing around previously until he finally managed to segue into it. "I bet it's just because he was scared of going up against me. He recognized that he wouldn't be able to beat me unless I'm unarmed."

"Aaron for the billionth time, he had his weapon with him this entire time, and he never even used it against you," Lava said with an exhausted sigh. She was very nearly tearing her hair out from his egotistic and ignorant attitude, though refrained from draining her Aura before her duel against Ash. "Yeah, you may be more experienced that him, but you hardly know anything about each other. He could have something that you can't go against."

"Like what?" Aaron challenged, a smug smile on him, thinking that he had finally cornered her. Lava clenched both hands into fists and slammed them on the table, attracting some attention. She fought the desire to hurt her partner, and found a hidden willpower buried within her to do so.

"His semblance for one," Lava said with barely contained venom in her voice. Aaron retracted in his seat a little, while Aiden and Valora remained ready to help contain her anger towards him. "Unless I blanked out and he told or even showed you what his semblance is, there's no ruling that out as a threat."

"So what?" Aaron countered, recovering from his flinch at her anger. "We've all faced off against others when we didn't even know what their semblances are, and we still won no problem. Besides, aren't you forgetting that I have a semblance too? He's gonna be in danger too."

"Did he seriously hit you hard enough to cause brain damage?" Lava retaliated harshly. "Do you even remember what happened when you actually used your semblance? He easily countered it and even used to knock your ass back in the air. If he somehow manages to take advantage of your reckless attitude again, he'll just knock you out of the ring and you'll only be making a fool of yourself."

The eight in the adjacent table couldn't help but listen in to their argument, in an attempt to piece together the story prior to their arrival. Though the bits and pieces they managed to gather only confused them more. As much as they wanted to ask for the story, they had to wonder first if it was even all right to ask the supposed enemy for it.

Lava saw the eight just remain silent in the corner of her eye, and let out a sigh in annoyance at the somewhat childish behavior. She stood up, in the middle of Aaron's rant on her being the one to fight hardly making a difference, as her semblance was supportive instead of offensive. She made her way to the table and slammed her hands on the table.

"You guys want to know what happened?" she asked them, not even letting them think about it before continuing. "Yeah, yeah, I know you do."

She spent most of the remaining time of the lunch period retelling the events from the time she and Aaron met Ash in the pavilion up till students started pouring in the cafeteria, along with constant demands for her partner to be quiet whenever he tried to chime in to mislead the audience. There wasn't much left to be questioned after she was done. Though that reigned true to everyone but Weiss.

"While the story is appreciated, I still find it hard to trust you," Weiss admitted, still slightly glaring at the dragon. Lava let out a sigh, feeling a little defeated. "You tried to reveal his secret to everyone, for absolutely no reason than just curiosity."

"Didn't you do that before Weiss?" Ruby chimed in, thought in the cloud, remembering the day they broke Ash's door and found out about his secret. "You ordered him to show it, with everyone in the room."

"There's an obvious difference between the situations you dolt," Weiss countered, a little betrayed that her partner accused of such a thing, though she recognized that it wasn't entirely false – not like she'd freely admit it. "I've known Ash for years, she's known him for less than an hour."

"Would it be too much to say that I hoped that he just lied to us and he was the dragon he told us about?" Lava asked, her eyes dropping to the table, a hint of sorrow and dejection in them. Weiss stiffened a little, hoping that none took note. The table remained quiet, now feelings of curiosity were replaced with sympathy. "I'm trying to find my brother, Vargas. We got separated when we were just kids after Grimm invaded our village. Thinking about it, it's practically impossible for him to survive to even just get to any of the kingdoms, but I just wanted to hope."

"He's human Lava," Aaron said bitterly behind her. He was a lot more calm now than before, but significantly more resentful towards the butler. "Unless you've lost your eyes or something, he had nothing that resembled a dragon. There wasn't a pair of wings in his back."

"People still hunt dragons for their wings Aaron," Lava countered, a painful resentment towards her trusted partner slowly growing in her. "For all we know, he could've had his wings cut off at some point."

"I've known him ever since we were seven year olds," Weiss chimed in, in a desperate attempt to draw the leader's attention away from Ash, unknowingly afraid of what would happen should he prove to be the one. "I can assure you, he's never had wings on his back."

"But he still could be, couldn't he Weiss?" Blake asked, trying to lie out the evidences presented with what little additional information they knew about Ash and figure out the truth. "He came from outside the kingdom, and there's a total of six years that you don't know about him, but I doubt an infant could survive in Grimm infested areas."

"So you're saying that Ash could possibly be a dragon-based _Faunus_ and became my butler, despite the fact that the Schnee family had only animus towards Faunus at the time," Weiss said sarcastically, hoping that no one would call her out on her bluff. "And that sometime when he was – let's say – four to six years old, he had his wings cut off?"

"Ok, let's stop there for a bit," Ruby cut in, feeling a little nauseous at the imaginary portrayal of a very young child going through the amount of pain she imagined what losing two wings would be like. "Remember what Yang said, 'Ignorance is bliss.'"

"When put like that, it does seem impossible Blake," Pyrrha commented, trying to investigate on her own. She found similarities between the two stories, but just listening in to Weiss' arguments, as well as what she knows so far, there were a lot more differences and impossibilities. But there were a couple of obvious pieces of evidence that they skipped. "Another thing, the difference in name: Ash and Vargas. And even if something like a name change occurred, wouldn't he recognize you?"

They all thought about it for a while, trying to find some loophole in the situation presented, but after a while, none came up with anything. Weiss turned to Lava who still had sorrow in her eyes, but this time with added self-criticism. It was at this time that she felt sympathy towards her. She shared her small hope to them and Weiss only crushed it.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Lava said dejectedly, feeling the small hope she desperately clung on to slowly slip in between her fingers. Her heart constricted painfully as she tried to convince herself to just let go. "He would've recognized me on sight; if not me, then at least my name. Yeah, Ash can't be my brother. Then again, there was very little chance that Vargas even made it to a kingdom."

"But couldn't your brother just fly to a city?" Ruby asked, eyeing the pair of wings on Lava's back, trying to return some hope back to the senior leader. To be separated from Yang was something that she'd rather not go through, much less have to admit that she's gone. "He could've survived that way right? The only Grimm that could've hurt him after that are Nevermores and Griffins."

"No, dragon wings only grow large enough for use after the age of five," Lava admitted, immediately invalidating Ruby's argument. Lava looked to Ruby and smiled though with sorrow still present on her. "Our father told me that Vargas fell to his death during the Grimm invasion, but Vargas had always been a damn lucky brat. I find it hard to believe that he died from that fall."

 _If this 'Vargas' really were Ash, then she'd be right,_ Weiss thought, trying to unravel the mystery if the two in question really are one and the same. She continued to stare at the older female leader, trying to determine whether or not she still suspected Ash or not. _And if the two were the same, then why didn't Ash recognize Lava?_

"Didn't Ash's dad try to kill him too?" Jaune asked, revitalizing some hope in Lava, causing some panic to Weiss. Should Ash be exposed now as a dragon Faunus, how would the others react? Did she trust them enough? Did he?

"So there are TWO bad dads in the world!?" Nora exclaimed, standing up and slamming her hands on the table. The action attracted some attention from the other students, but was sudden enough to knock Lava out of her sorrowful stupor. "We should go out there and teach them a lesson. We can deal with Ash's dad later, but right now, where's _your_ dad?"

"I really wouldn't know," Lava admitted, less sad about the matter than in her brother's case. Her wings gave a small twitch at the memory, though her expression seemed to express that she didn't mind it at all. "I was convinced that our father was the one who tried to kill Vargas, that I left soon after."

"Why? How do you know?" Weiss found herself asking, wanting to kick herself for pursuing the topic. The sudden interest interested a few people, the main being Lava herself. Knowing that there was no getting away from it, she tried to direct the suspicion away. "Ash, definitely, was in a similar position, but whether or not it's the same might give you – all of us – some closure."

"Unfortunately, I don't know what the reason was," Lava confessed, slightly laughing at herself for the lack of knowledge on the matter. Her wings seemed to droop down a little, almost touching the floor. "But he'd always hated Vargas no matter what he did."

Silence followed soon after, none wanting to be the one to comment, or even be the one to try and divert from it, only to fail in it. Lava made her way back to her own team, where Valora comforted her, while Aaron couldn't say anything, and Aiden was just normally quiet. At the adjacent table, Weiss stood up and made her way to the other table, ignoring her friends' questions.

"Lava," Weiss called out, questioning her sanity as she walked up to the table. Lava looked at her, with dejection still in her eyes. Weiss' heart was beating against her chest, nervous as to whether or not her decision was the right one. "I'm headed to Ash's room now. You can come with me and explain your action to him before the two of you go up against each other."

"Are you giving me a choice?" Lava joked, letting out a rather bitter laugh. Weiss could only stare at her coldly, in response. Lava stood up and walked towards the heiress. "Lead the way."

Without saying another word, the two of them made their way to the butler's room. The walk there was awkward for both. The female dragon that dared to try and expose Ash's secret to the student body, and the mistress of that butler. Lava simply stared at Weiss, who was continuing her internal debate on the decision she's made. Eventually, the two made it to his room and knocked, but he never came to answer the door.

"Could he be out?" Lava asked, estranged to the unnatural patience of the heiress. Normally, no one would've waited for more than a minute before knocking again, but here they were waiting nearly five minutes from the first set of knocks.

"No, he's here," Weiss said confidently. She pressed her ear against the door, listening for anything that may explain what he was doing. She waited for a minute, staying silent that she was able to hear her own heartbeat.

Another minute passed and still nothing. Lava looked around, worried that they may be deemed strange, and sneaks just by their actions. Once she ensured that the halls were still empty, she turned to Weiss again.

Weiss couldn't hear anything inside, not even so much as a gust of wind, but soon after, she heard the familiar sound of her butler's grunt in pain. She pried herself from the door, and started to violently slam her small hands against the door. Lava took her hands, and brought them down, as if to contain some madwoman.

"What is wrong with you?!" Lava yelled, making sure that she didn't use her full strength against the heiress. Weiss had an expression of urgency and ripped her wrists from Lava's grip. Lava moved to restrain her again, but stopped when Ash let out a pained yell from inside.

"Break down the door!" Weiss ordered Lava, something that Lava was more than happy to comply with. Weiss moved out of the way and Lava stood in front of the door. She raised her right leg and focused her energy on it. In a single kick, the door flew from its hinges and lay on the ground. The two of them entered the room and found Ash on the lone bed, flat on his back, eyes closed, with a grimaced expression, and his chest rapidly rising and falling.

Weiss ran to him and started shaking him by his shoulders. Lava followed, unsure of what she could do to help.

"I was worried this would happen," Weiss admitted, with frustration evident on her voice as she continued to shake her butler frantically. She stole a glance at Lava, who expressed a mixture of emotions, with confusion being the most evident. "This is Ash's form of meditation. He enters a sleep like trance and goes through his memories as if they were dreams."

Lava knelt down on the other side of the bed from Weiss and gently took Ash's cheeks in her hands. Weiss stopped shaking Ash, and simply watched whatever Lava was doing. Lava placed her forehead against Ash's and spoke softly.

"I knew I'd find you one day," she whispered, swallowing to prevent her heart from leaping out of her throat. Weiss sat at the foot of the bed, and hoped that no matter what happens and no matter what Ash may find in his memory, nothing will change. "Vargas, its time for you to accept the past. It's not your fault she died, let go."

Ash didn't wake up, but his expression softened and his previous rapid breathing came to a slow. Lava pulled back and sat at the foot of the bed along with Weiss.

"You knew he was my brother," Lava accused, though she didn't really hold any malice, rather she was thankful. Weiss nodded, now watching Ash's breathing in its calmer state. "Why didn't you just say so?"

"Because to the rest of them, Ash is human," Weiss explained, reaching for Ash's hands and pulling off the gloves on them. She studied the scars on them, as if they would bleed for no apparent reason again. "But how did you know that he was your brother just from this?"

"Because this sort of meditation is something that our mother taught him. He was still too young to understand, so she never really told him, but her semblance was clairvoyance. She knew when she'd die, and she knew that he'd blame himself for it, so she taught him this so that he'd be able to forgive himself."

"So this meditation is just part of a semblance? Even though she was already long gone?"

"Clairvoyance is a powerful semblance. She told me that it's not just for viewing the future, but something that could even alter the past. She was really cryptic about it so I never found out what she meant."

"She meant that we're permitted use of our semblance even in Ash's subconscious. I was able to do it once before."

"You… entered his subconscious? As in, you actually were there when he was meditating? Like, inside his head?"

"Yea, though it was a forced meditation, and we've never been able to replicate it ever since. I saw how his mother died, how his Aura and semblance were unlocked, I used my semblance then to protect them, but I found out too late."

"Don't blame yourself," Lava stretched out her hand and placed it on top of Weiss' which was holding Ash's. "Ultimately, no one can change the past. You were supposed to be there that time, and help in whatever way you did. If our mother didn't die that day, then he wouldn't have met you. I can tell you mean a lot to Vargas, and he means a lot to you."

"Why are you calling him like that?" Weiss asked, desperately trying to hide the elation Lava's words caused her. She traced the outlines of the scars on Ash's hands, remembering the way he got them. "'Vargas.' Is that a nickname?"

"It's my real name Miss Schnee," Ash replied, in place of Lava. The two young women retracted their hands and freed from their grip, Ash stood up, moving towards the headboard to give his mistress and supposed sister some more room. "Vargas Valentine."

"But I heard your mother call you 'little Ash,'" Weiss countered, recounting her trip inside Ash's memories. Before his mother unlocked his Aura, in order to save his life, she referred to him as 'little Ash.'

"Vargas is also the name of our ancestor," Ash explained, looking to Lava to confirm or deny. Lava simply replied with a nod, before letting Ash continue. "She called me 'little ash', not as the name Ash, but the end result of a fire, as our ancestor Vargas' title was Ignis – the closest thing to a king in the past hierarchy without actually being a king. Ash is a name I took on after I found myself in Atlas."

"So then she's your—" Weiss started, looking to Lava as an indication, but was immediately interrupted by her butler.

"She and I don't share the same birth parents Miss Schnee," Ash turned to Lava and a small smile started to tug on the corner of his lips. "But she is without a doubt my sister. I'm sorry it took me this long, Livia."

"For what?" Lava asked, returning the smile, moving up and embracing her brother tightly, on the verge of tears. Her goal for the past decade has now been realized. "You were just a baby when we first met, and barely a kid when you disappeared. I never expected you to recognize me. _I_ should've recognized _you._ "

Ash returned the embrace, his body recognizing the warmth of the sister that had embraced him as a child. Weiss just sat there, awkwardly watching the late reunion. Lava pried herself from Ash and turned to Weiss, her expression glowing with joy. She dragged the heiress onto her embrace, whispering her gratitude to Weiss a thousand times before she was able to get out of the stronger girl's grip. Weiss turned to Ash, finding him smiling, nearly laughing at the scene that played out in front of him. She couldn't help but smile as well, having resolved one conflict for him and helping him find his sister, no matter how small she contributed. Finally, she felt the lists even out, or at least it was now on the way to balancing.

"Ash what about your actual parents?" Weiss reminded him, now more confused than relieved.

"I was adopted as an infant," Ash admitted, smiling as though it was a usual everyday situation. Lava had the same expression, though she was mainly still elated at finding her brother. "I've never met my true parents, but I found family in the Valentine's. I know that even Father loved me in his own way."

"He tried to kill you," Weiss reminded him, turning to Lava when she remembered that the dragon girl didn't know about the event. Lava had a dumbfounded expression, demanding an explanation from either person.

"And he had the right to," Ash replied solemnly, getting up from the bed, stripping out of his hoodie and shirt to reveal the gauze wrapped around his chest and shoulders. "I was the cause of his wife's death after all. If I hadn't been so selfish that day, then she would still be alive."

"Are you saying that you regret your decisions that day?" Weiss asked, testing Lava's words about the two of them never meeting if that decision was never made. Ash gave out a laugh, as he removed the gauze from his chest slowly, careful as to not tear it as he had no other gauze to spare.

"If I hadn't been selfish that day, I never would've met you Miss Schnee," he replied, nearly fully removing the gauze but saw the state of the room; all normal except for the broken door on the floor once again. "I wonder if that's Miss Xiao Long's doing again."

Ash removed the gauze but quickly grabbed his shirt and put it back on again, looking to the two girls on his bed with a mocked pondering expression. They strayed away from his gaze, trying to look innocent as if to test if the blame would be passed to the other. Lava was first to break when she met Ash's accusing gaze.

"Ok, so she-," Weiss glared at the dragon girl coldly, and Lava broke under it and corrected herself. "We thought something bad was happening to you. We were kinda right."

Ash let out a sigh and made his way to the bathroom with the gauze in his hand to wrap it around his chest again without anyone else finding out his secret. Lava and Weiss were left in the room in awkward silence, their business with Ash already completed… well… mostly.

"So, you've been the one looking after Ash all this time, huh?" Lava said awkwardly, bringing up the topic in an attempt to break the thick atmosphere. "I guess I should thank you, huh?"

"You sound like you're taking him back," Weiss accused, causing Lava to laugh.

"'Take him back?'" Lava echoed, laughing some more, making the butler inside the bathroom wonder what they were doing. "Why would I want to take him from my future sister-in-law?"

"Excuse me?" Weiss retaliated in shock. The leader was laughing quietly at her reaction, wanting to at least keep something secret to her brother, one that can indefinitely affect his future.

"You're telling me that you guys aren't _that_ close?" Lava accused, now more confused than anything. Weiss shook her head and the disappointment Lava felt was more than she could bear. She put a hand on her temples and started to massage them. "I thought Vargas would grow a pair by now. He was talking about you like you were one of the maidens or something. I thought you two were an item, that's all."

"The relationship between Miss Schnee and I are that of professionals, Livia," Ash stepped out of the bathroom, the gauze slightly visible underneath his shirt. He made his way back to his hoodie and put it on once more, relishing the feel of the lighter clothing before he has to go back to the restrictions of a suit the following day. "She is my mistress and I am her loyal servant. She and her family took me in, thus I am forever indebted to them."

Weiss bit her lip, remembering how she took advantage of a sleeping Ash. Even with that, she saw Ash as nothing more than a person she values greatly, no more than her sister, her brother, or her father. Her action that day was one that she could hardly explain; a very brief feeling of infatuation, maybe? It hardly mattered, he doesn't know and she had no intention of telling him, she could only hope that Pyrrha does the same.

Lava, to say the least, was unsatisfied with his explanation. Platonic friendships are possible and are common but a single glance at the two suggested otherwise. She and Aaron protected each other and are deemed nearly inseparable despite their daily arguments, but the two in front of her are different; something that goes beyond just professionalism. A feeling she got when Ash aggressively defended the family when she accused them.

"Anyways, we have a more pressing situation to deal with," Ash announced, grabbing a seat in the chair at the desk in the room. "Outside of the three of us and Beacon's staff, I'm afraid I have no choice but to keep on referring to you as 'Miss Lava,' Livia. As you have to refer to me as 'Ash.' As if this meeting has never happened.

"Why can't you just tell everyone that you're a dragon?" Lava asked, unhappy with the situation presented, not when she had finally found her brother.

"Because your brother, _Vargas_ , is the dragon. _Ash_ is human," he replied, noting that, out of his peripheral, Weiss refused to meet his gaze, just in case he came to her for a consensus. "Miss Schnee's father allowed me to serve her, on the condition that I serve her as a human. That is why I no longer have my wings."

"You knew next to nothing about me at that time," Weiss stood up and grabbed him by the collar, raising it so that he'd face her. Ash simply allowed her to vent her obvious frustration on him. Lava just sat back and watched the two. "What were you thinking sacrificing so much for someone you didn't even know!?"

"I was thinking that I had to protect this person's smile," Ash replied honestly. Weiss dropped his collar, uncertain of what to do next, unsure of how the brain of the person in front of her works. "I was always told that I was born to be someone's shield. I believe that person is you."

"And if it isn't?" Weiss challenged, glaring at the servant looking to her passively.

"Then I'd change it."

Weiss scroll rang, an alarm she set to remind her and her team that the next class will soon start. She quickly fished it out of her pocket and silenced it, returning her attention back at her servant. Why he remained so loyal to her was a question she'll never have an answer for. He stood up and headed for the fallen door, picking it up and setting it aside for later.

"I have to request for a new door from Headmaster Ozpin, you two go on ahead without me. I shouldn't be too long," Ash left the girls in his room, and soon disappeared down the hall.

'"Then I'd change it,' huh?" Lava echoed, laughing at the rather assertive response. She and Weiss left the room, hoping that no one walks in and steals whatever valuables Ash has hidden away. "And you're sure nothing's going on?"

* * *

Teams RWBY, JNPR, and LAVA sat in wait, along with the other students, around the arena, once again waiting for the butler to show up. Most of the students simply just fooled around, unaware of what they were really waiting for. The students that do know couldn't take their eyes away from the dragon girl waiting for her opponent. Glynda just watched her scroll, the screen displaying Ash's Aura level slowly increasing. Just a little over two hours and his Aura had only recovered three quarters of his maximum capacity, making the professor wonder if it was enough to take on another dragon, with her maximum Aura. Statistically speaking, the difference between the two levels isn't too drastic. However realistically speaking, the difference is night and day.

Aaron was impatiently tapping his foot to the floor, glaring at his leader, still annoyed that a simple challenge from Ash immediately forced him to the sidelines, unable to show off in front of Lava. Aiden and Valora were getting themselves acquainted with the other two teams, sharing stories of both adventure and flat out foolishness. The main target of their conversations was Jaune and his misadventures ever since he came to Beacon. Lava and Weiss were watching the door, barely taking part in any of the merriment, stealing glances at each other from time to time.

Ash walks in, sword and sheath behind his back, bracer around his left forearm, and a pair of metal gloves equipped. He walked straight to Miss Goodwitch and explained his tardiness, something that she was now used to. He looked to Lava and took his place on one side of the arena. Lava stood up, sword and sheath hanging from the left side of her hip, her wings twitching in excitement.

Students started to quiet down, looking to the front to watch the duel. Lava took her place opposite of Ash and waited for the professor to start the duel. Glynda projected the two combatants' Aura levels on the monitor above. Ash's was first to come up, barely three quarters of the bar filled. Lava's was second with a full bar.

"Yes, yes. Mister Valentine's Aura hasn't fully recovered, I know," Miss Goodwitch announced, over the cacophony of the murmuring of her students. "This match is just to show what your opponents from Mistral can do and vise versa. As such I don't entirely expect Mister Valentine to win."

Ash and Lava laughed in silence as her proclamation stunned pretty much all of her students, even the majority of Teams RWBY and JNPR. Team LAVA, on the other hand, were a bit more doubtful, with the exception of Aaron who argued that Glynda simply said that to cover for Ash's inevitable defeat.

"Well, you two know the rules, begin when ready."

Ash and Lava drew their swords from their sheaths and simply left them at their side. They walked slowly towards each other much to the confusion of everyone else. They met at the middle and raised the weapons in front of them, crossing the other blade, and placing their left forearms across their chest. They held the position for a few moments, before walking past each other and stabbing the tip of their blades into the ground.

"I trust you two know what you're doing," Glynda commented from the side.

Ash and Lava didn't respond, and instead closed their eyes. After a moment, they opened their eyes again and dragged their swords in a circle made together, making sure to keep an edge of their blade against the floor, leaving a mark wherever they went. Once they reached where the other was, they stabbed the tip of their blades once more in the hole already made, leaving an obvious marking of a five foot circle on the floor.

"What are they doing?" Aaron asked out loud, watching the two stand idly still with their blades in the floor. "A ritual?"

"Well, until they start making a pentagram, I'm gonna say 'No,'" Valora countered sarcastically, earning a glare from her teammate. She looked around the room and no one seemed to know whatever it was they were doing, not even Glynda. "But look at what they made. I wonder what that circle's for. They say anything about this, heiress?"

"Not that I'm aware of," Weiss replied, probably more questions running through her mind more than anyone present.

Ash and Lava each took a deep breath. In a blink of an eye, the two began their duel. They pulled their swords out of the ground and spun as quickly as their bodies would let them. Lava brought her sword above her shoulder and swung down. Ash kept his swing low, rising up to meet her strike. The two blades collided in a spark. As if the blades bounced off each other, Ash and Lava pulled their blades back and went in for another strike only to result in another clash of metal with each meeting causing a small shockwave that pushed dust away from the middle.

Ash would get the first clean hit in, forcing his body to move faster than Lava, he managed to duck under her sword and glide his across her stomach. The force of the blow trying to knock Lava back, but she spread her wings wide and forced the momentum to deplete without her moving out of the circle. Ash went in for another attack, but Lava spun folding one wing and hitting Ash with the other. Ash stabbed his blade into the ground to keep himself inside the circle.

Ash kicked Lava's left knee in retaliation, forcing Lava out of her stance. The two of them recovered and stood swung at each other again, their blades meeting again. The blades groaned against the force, meeting again several more times afterwards. Ash swung at Lava's side, a swing that she was willing to meet. When the two blades met, Ash loosened his grip on his, grabbing it again, now like a dagger. The weapons grinded against each other, causing a cacophony of grinding metal. The moment the blades were clear of each other, Ash released his grip on his sword and pushed Lava's weapon further away from him, twisting his body to do so. He caught his sword like a dagger with his left hand, and brought it across Lava's shoulder and chest.

Lava focused her strength on her legs and recovered from both Ash's blow and deflection. Ash switched his sword from his left to his right and prepared to clash with Lava again. Once more, a series of clashes followed, their arms growing numb from the excess force shifting to their arms from each met blow. Both were bound to tire, and neither wanted to express if it started to show. Every once in a while, in the midst of their clashes, one would prove to be faster than the other and land a clean hit. Their swings and clashes only seemed to get even faster as time went on, generating more shockwaves that the Faunus with ear appendages, like Aaron and Blake, were more sensitive to than the humans around them.

"Lava seems different," Aiden commented, watching his leader clash against the butler over and over again, neither giving ground to the other.

"Forget _seems_ different, she's acting completely different," Aaron corrected, slightly frustrated at what he's forced to watch. Neither Lava nor Ash backed down from their initial clash, keeping up with each other's assault, never slowing down. "Usually she'd create some space so that she can use her wings to attack. I don't get why she's fighting this up close."

"Ash too," Ruby commented, slightly more excited than the wolf Faunus. Unlike Aaron, Ruby saw the fight as just that, a fight. With neither her friend and fellow leader taking even a step back, she was excited to see who'd win. "Usually he wouldn't just attack. He waited for Team CRDL to attack before he did before."

"It's that circle," Ren guessed. They turned to him; he just kept his attention to the two in the arena, stuck in another loop of clashes. "They're not just refusing to back down, they're refusing to even take a step outside of that circle. There's no defense, its just offense meeting offense. This is more of a test of strength and endurance."

"If it's strength, then Lava has this in the bag," Valora childishly said in pride. She hoped for her teammates to back her up, especially from Aaron, but it never came. She looked to her teammates, and they were watching the duel in frustration. "Uh guys? A little encouragement here?"

"Something's wrong Val," Aiden told her, motioning for her to look at the arena again. She turned and the two were still trapped in a clash of blows blocked by blows. "Yeah, Lava's stronger than us, but how come he's keeping up with her?"

"Ash is strong too, you know," Nora said proudly. Aiden and Valora turned to her, while Aaron just kept watching the duel. "With his semblance he can even lift Beacon like it's paper!"

Behind her, her friends were shaking their heads, mouthing words that range from 'She's lying' to 'That's impossible.' Aiden and Valora looked at each other, finding the information given, utterly useless, but helpful in the way that they now had a theory.

The series of clashing blows came to a slow, the two dragons panting in exhaustion. The two summoned what energy they kept hidden and fixed their posture, quickly getting back into a fighting stance, hell bent on staying inside the made circle no matter what. Lava used her wing and put it behind Ash's foot without his noticing and dragged it back to herself, tripping the butler, knocking him off balance. She sliced down at his open body, only for it to be knocked away by Ash's. The butler put his left hand in between him and floor, catching himself before pushing up, driving his foot to Lava's chin.

Lava was pushed up into the air, but caught herself by spreading her wings. With a single beat of her wings, she propelled herself towards the butler, slamming the tips of her wings to the ground along with her sword. Ash dodged her wings but caught a blade across his chest, making sure to focus his strength to his legs so that he doesn't get knocked over. Ash swung his blade down at her, and her position made it impossible to dodge or even block the attack. The blade was driven across her back, at the base of her wings, her Aura being the only reason that she wasn't wingless like Ash.

Lava stood up as fast as she could, pushing the blade away, readying herself to attack again. With the momentum of the sword still dragging his arm up, Ash released the hilt, jumped, and grabbed the sword again with his left hand. By then, the momentum was already nearly gone, and Ash was now left slightly in the air. Taking this as an opportunity, Lava swung her blade at Ash, knowing that he couldn't dodge in the air, and that a block would just push him out of the circle.

Ash spun in the air, with Lava's blade slicing his side. Stunned by his movement, Lava couldn't do much when Ash attacked back, using his spin's momentum to increase the damage he dealt to her. Lava was struck several more times with Ash's spinning bringing the blade back to her over and over again. Ash landed inside the circle, and Lava remained, even with the blows she had to endure. They gave each other a brief moment of respite to catch their breath and to go back to a stable fighting stance.

The two of them spun in opposite directions, and stepped in hard when they faced each other again, to stabilize themselves for the incoming clash. The blades met again, but this time, they gave out. Both swords broke from the force generated, the blades flying off, leaving them only gripping a blade with a half an inch of broken blade left. Some students had to dodge a flying blade hurtling towards them while Ash and Lava had to recover from their arms going numb, as well as to comprehend that they were now weaponless.

As the audience recovered from their state of shock, Lava and Ash collapsed to the floor, panting as if they were rid of breath for years. The sounds of their breathing echoed in the silent room, and soon, so were their laughter. After a while, Glynda started to walk towards them, ready to announce the result of the match. Listening to her footsteps, both dragons stood up and got back into a fighting stance. Glynda was forced to stop in her tracks, as the two continued their duel, now forced into hand to hand.

Lava attacked with her wing, but Ash jumped over Lava to dodge the attack, grabbing Lava's head and slamming his knee to her forehead. Lava, in retaliation, slammed her other wing over Ash and slammed him to the ground. The force of the attack, forced an indentation of Ash's back to imprint on the floor. Ash swept his leg against Lava's knocking the girl off balance and forcing her to the ground, like he was now. Lifting his leg in the air, he brought it down on Lava's stomach, forcing the same indentation to imprint where she was.

Both dragons recovered quickly and stood up. As they were about to begin again, Glynda got in between them and forced the two apart with her semblance. Without saying another word, Glynda started to repair the floor, leaving the two dragons to wonder why she stopped them. They looked up at the monitor above and saw that Ash's Aura level had already reached critical.

"While I'm glad that you two are so eager to further your combat potentials, I suggest you learn how to stop first," Glynda scolded, motioning for the two of them to join her in the middle of the arena. They did as requested, picking up what's left of their swords along the way. "And that's the end of this rather… peculiar duel. The winner is Miss Lava Valentine. And as much as I'd like to draw upon this duel to compare Mistral and Beacon teachings, these two fought on their own terms. Can you two explain just what you did?"

"A test of strength and endurance, Miss Goodwitch," Ash explained, examining the hilt of his now broken sword. "None must leave the circle lest they forfeit the match."

"Throw away everything and bet it all on one principle: attack," Lava continued, examining her own hilt, missing the weight if the blade on the other end. "Kinda like a honorable duel or something."

Ash stepped off the arena and went into the ground. They parted from his path, and he picked up the blade that flew into the crowd and imbedded itself into the floor. He placed the broken blade back into the sheath, with the hilt following soon after. Lava did the same, and found her blade piece stuck in the wall. With broken weapons, they made their way back to Glynda.

Mister Valentine, you have no team and will not be participating in the Vytal Festival," Glynda announced, much to the relief of some students, and the annoyance of one Aaron Shader. "However, Miss Valentine, you _do_ have a team, and thus will be participating. As an instructor, I am unable to interfere with my students' responsibilities. Please see to it that your weapon is repaired as soon as it is convenient."

"Yes, Miss Goodwitch," Lava replied, holding her sheath and hilt tightly, not wanting the contents inside to fall out. She turned to Ash with a smile, but soon directed her attention back at the monitor above. She laughed, causing both professor and dragon to look at it as well. The monitor read Ash's Aura level at thirteen percent, while Lava's was at thirty five percent. "If you had all of your Aura, you would've beaten me. Not bad, _Ash._ "

"It does not change the fact that you won today, _Miss Lava_ ," he replied, their obvious emphasis on each other's names confusing the professor slightly, but decided to let it be. "I may know someone who can repair out weapons, if you want."

"Alright, I'm trusting you here," Lava unfastened her sheath from her hip and handed it over to Ash. He accepted it and together with his sister, they made their way back to their friends.

They jumped down from the arena, both hilts falling out of the sheath from the leftover momentum. Ash let out a sigh, and reached underneath both hoodie and shirt, pulling at the gauze around his chest. Ripping it from his chest, Ash took the gauze and split it in two. With each half, he tied the hilts to the sheaths, ensuring that they won't fall again without someone's help.

They soon joined their friends, being greeted in slight praise from some students. As they got closer, Aaron ran in with his semblance propelling him and grabbed the butler's hoodie and tried to rip it off. Ash pushed his open palm up and struck Aaron's chin forcing him up in the air, dazing him enough to loosen his grip. Ash once more, struck the wolf's diaphragm with an open palm, activating his semblance at the point of impact, his entire arm being covered in cumulous angry red cloud-like smoke. Aaron's body was sent flying to the wall, planting him into it, the force of both Ash's blow and the force of his body slamming against the wall rendering the wolf unconscious.

Aiden whistled, worried about the wolf's state of being. Valora had her hands over her mouth in shock. Lava just shook her head at the failed attempt. The room was silent, the students wondering what happened to send someone flying towards the wall like a bullet. Ash deactivated his semblance, and felt guilty about what he'd done, though he recognized that he was only acting out of instinct.

"Ok, let's let his secret, stay a secret, yeah?" Aiden asked no one in particular, but received a hum in agreement from multiple people, even random students. He turned to Ash who had a concerned and guilty expression. "Don't worry about Aaron, he should be tougher than he looks after all of Lava's _training sessions._ "

"I told him the semblance is a threat," Lava said, disappointed at her partner's carelessness. "Just leave him there. He'll learn his lesson faster."

The conscious members of Team LAVA left with a farewell to their new friends and their teammate in the wall, as they were only given permission to stay until the duel against Ash finished. The class continued under Miss Goodwitch's strict command, students going up to the arena in pairs, ready to test their combat prowess against one another. Ash sat next to his mistress, and relaxed as best he could. With his stumps now free from the gauze, their sensitivity increased and was constantly brushed against the fabric of his shirt. He shifted from time to time, in a vain attempt to fix his problem.

Weiss noticed Ash's strange movements and turned to see his uneasy expression. She nudged him once with her elbow and said nothing else. He moved his eyes to the side, motioning at his back. He leaned forward slightly, which allowed her to put a hand on his back as if she was just caring for him. Her fingertips moved across his back and felt the tips of one wing. It tried to flap in retaliation, but Weiss moved her hand to flatten it against Ash's back.

"You ok there Ash?" Yang asked. Weiss stiffened and moved her arm again to flatten both of Ash's wings against his back.

"It seems like my Aura depletion from earlier is still affecting me Miss Xiao Long," Ash lied, his mind running at maximum capacity to come up with a decent lie. Ash shifted a little, forcing Weiss' slender fingers to run across both wings. He fought back a groan and other involuntary movements triggered by the feeling by discreetly digging his thumb into his knee. "I'm just severely exhausted right now. I should be fine as long as I continue to rest."

"Or you could be lying to us," Yang suggested, her tone going from worrying to accusing. Her expression turned stern, narrowing her eyes at the butler and his mistress.

"I guess that could be true, Miss Xiao Long," Ash replied, trying to straighten and fix posture as much as he could. Yang let out an exasperated sigh, tapping a finger on the desk. "But I assure you that I—"

"I'm not very big on being lied to, you know that," Yang said, slightly raising her voice in pure annoyance. She leaned in close, and made sure to lower her voice so that only their small group of friends could hear. "You're Vargas aren't you? You're a dragon, aren't you?"


	19. Then Make It Official

"I'm not very big on being lied to, you know that," Yang said, slightly raising her voice in pure annoyance. She leaned in close, and made sure to lower her voice so that only their small group of friends could hear. "You're Vargas aren't you? You're a dragon, aren't you?"

The remaining six waited for an answer, looking to the heiress and her servant, not allowing them to escape without answering or even as much as a simplistic lie. Ash placed a hand on the Weiss' hand around his back, and looked at her reassuringly. Reluctantly, she removed her hand from his back and he straightened his back as much as he could.

"Miss Schnee and Miss Lava filled me in on your conversation in the cafeteria Miss Xiao Long," Ash admitted, lying as best he could so he could keep his secret. Yang looked at him in scrutiny, not believing his words even for a second. "I admit that there are similarities between Miss Lava's brother and I, but I guarantee you that I am not. He and I having the same family name, being born outside of the kingdoms and our fathers attempting to take our lives are purely coincidental."

"For all I know, you can be lying to us again," Yang retaliated, louder than she had intended, attracting the attention of a few students around them and, though briefly, the attention of the professor. "I can't trust you in this one Ash or Vargas, or whoever you are. You lied to us before, and we believed you, so I can't trust whatever you say."

"What can I do to prove to you that I'm not lying Miss Xiao Long?" Ash asked with sincerity in his voice, not wanting to strain the frail bond between him and the brawler. Around them, Ruby, Blake, Jaune, Ren, Pyrrha, and even Nora sat in silence, as if deciding who between the two they would side with, and so far, Yang has got them all on her side. "What can I do to earn your trust again?"

"Show us your back," Yang demanded, a demand that Weiss and Ash expected, but nevertheless dreaded. "If you're telling us the truth, that you're really not this Vargas guy, and that you don't have wings, then I'll apologize and I can trust you again. Even if you are lying to us, and we find wings, then it means that you trust us enough to share your secret. Either way, I'll trust you again."

"Please allow me the rest of the day to think about it, I'll surely have my answer this time tomorrow," he replied. A simple request, one that Yang couldn't deny him. Ash turned his attention back to the arena, where two students were locked in a sloppy duel. "However, I'll apologize now if I choose to continue hiding my scars. In time, I hope you'll find it in yourselves to forgive me."

Yang continued to try and convince him otherwise, but Ash didn't grace any of her attempts with so much as a hum. He fought the angel and devil on his shoulders, trying desperately to not allow his guilt or fear force the decision they represented on him. If he chose to continue hiding, then the trust he had built with the people around him will come crumbling down until there was only rubble. However, if he chose to reveal it, could he trust them enough to keep it like it was their own? After all, who was he to care about the opinion of anyone else other than his mistress?

Time passed slowly for Ash, Yang, and Weiss, the ones who were more involved in the situation than anyone else. Yang was anxious to hear the butler's decision. She was the bad guy in the situation. She knew that by being the one to directly make such a demand, she was the one who forced Ash into a corner he couldn't escape from. Ash was stuck, his mind running rampant from all the possible end results he could think of, in an attempt to force an end where everyone is satisfied, or at least one that would allow him more time. Weiss was the one in the middle. She couldn't help but think back to the day she first found out about Ash's secret, her forcefulness, her decision to run away from the situation, and Ash's forced decision to show her. If none of that happened, would they be in the same situation? Or would it be more likely that she would be on Yang's side?

Classes soon ended, and Ash asked to be alone for the night after quickly running to the infirmary for a fresh roll of gauze and putting the two broken blades back in his room, only appearing to deliver on his promise to continue his five-day deal with the three members of Team RWBY. Blake got her tuna dinner. Yang got her Sunrise. And Ruby got her cookies despite Ash's attempts to deter her demands for the batch that night instead of just waiting for the following morning. He left soon after he served them dinner, where he went, no one knew. Weiss hardly participated in any of the conversations, and once she was done with her dinner, she set out to find her troubled servant.

She wandered the darkening corridors of Beacon aimlessly. Checking the roof twice, and the pavilion three times. Dusk dared to swallow the entirety of Vale. The academy's lights flickered on once the sun had set and dusk had fully set in. As she walked past the arena, she couldn't help but overhear some familiar exhausted grunts coming from inside the room. She carefully opened the door, only enough to peek in, and found Ash in the arena up against a few training dummies on pedestals in the shape of different types of Grimm. The room was dark, except for the single light that bore down on the arena. With his sword broken, he had settled for testing his ability in hand to hand.

He continuously struck the Beowolf dummy on its chin, chest and limb joints with a mixture of punches and kicks, the metal alloy that made up the dummy, groaning in complaint against the blows. He struck the same places over and over again, faster each time he completed a set, and soon the dummy broke and flew off its pedestal, with its limbs falling to pieces when it hit the ground. He took the time to catch his breath before he moved on to the Ursa dummy standing on its hind legs.

"An Ursa is far slower than a Beowolf," Ash recounted the times Professor Port told of stories about Ursai, in an attempt to formulate a plan to fight one. He examined the Ursa dummy, walking around it once for a better understanding. "Tough hide and even thicker muscle, although, a thin and fragile mandible, when compared to the rest of its body. Still have to watch out for its claws and jaws."

Ash, once more got back into an offensive stance, lowering his body, stepping forward with his right foot as the left kept him balanced. He put his hands up, his right arm stretch out in front of him while his left hung close to his head. He breathed in once and jumped towards the jaw of the Ursa. He struck the side of its jaw with his right and spun and tilted his body, bringing the heel of his left foot crashing in the same place. The Ursa dummy fell over, but more or less intact. Ash examined his handiwork once he'd landed, letting out a frustrated sigh at the miniscule damage dealt. He righted the fallen dummy and got back into stance once more.

Over and over again, he struck the Ursa with smaller, precise attacks, but as the training dummy had no sense of pain, he couldn't tell whether or not he'd made any form of progress at all. After a dozen rounds, the metal alloy finally broke under the constant pressure and the supposed mandible of the Ursa broke off from its hinges and fell to the ground while the rest remained where they were, simulating a standing death of an Ursa. Despite his attempts finally bearing fruit, Ash sat on the ground feeling sorrow for his own incompetence. He let out a restrained yell of frustration, thinking that none would hear it.

"Miss Schnee? Might I ask what is it you're doing?" Glynda's voice rang out softly throughout the corridor, not wanting to disturb the dragon training within the room. Weiss turned to the sound of her voice slightly panicked, stealing small glances back at the arena to check if Ash became suspicious. "If you're curious as to what Mister Valentine is doing, then simply go in and ask him. There are no rules against using the arena to train, so feel free to lend him a hand."

Glynda continued to walk up to her with her scroll in hand and opened the door wide when she got there. She waved her hand over her scroll and the lights of the room began to turn on one at a time, illuminating the rest of the room. Ash looked up at them and stood up. Weiss walked in after Glynda, taking in the sight of her servant surrounded by the training dummies. To the side of the room lay the Beowolf Weiss watched Ash destroy as well as several more of the same kind with one Boarbatusk split in two.

"How did you fare?" Glynda asked, as she and Weiss made their way to the arena, their footsteps echoing in the silent room. Ash shook his head and pointed at the pile of broken dummies. "It seems to me that you've learned at least something."

"I've learned that it's pointless to train on dummies," he replied, smiling sadly at the heiress to greet her. He pushed himself up from the ground and walked to the Ursa. "With the amount of times I had to re-plan my approach on this one, I may have already been dead."

"Hmm… What's your opinion on the matter Miss Schnee?" Glynda turned to the heiress examining the broken inanimate Grimm on the side. One Beowolf was taken down by one of Ash's kick, evident by the clear indentation of his shoe just under its arm, imitating a death by a crushed lung. "You've seen how he fared earlier this morning, surely you have some idea as to what he's doing wrong."

"Ash, you're still attacking as if Grimm and people are the same," the heiress replied, picking up the piece of the Beowolf torso with the dent in it and parts of the freshly broken one, before making her way back to the professor and the butler. She dropped the parts in front of Ash, and simply held the torso up for now. "This one is something you should try and replicate. You're getting too close to deliver such small attacks. While, yes, I understand that you are aiming at weak points, you're also putting yourself in such unnecessary danger if you can't stun or daze whatever it is you're fighting."

"I'm not sure I follow Miss Schnee," Ash said, unsure of what else he could do. He walked to the Ursa and circled it again, looking for other openings that could work. "Isn't targeting you opponent's weak spot the best strategy no matter who or what it is you're up against?"

"Normally, yes," Weiss handed the dent torso over to Ash, and he spun it around, examining it, confused of its significance in the matter. "Tell me, what happened when you destroyed that one."

"This was the fifth Beowolf I trained against," he answered, further examining the torso, spinning it until he found the dent he made with a kick. "I felt that I was striking too slow to escape danger and I just got frustrated and kicked it."

"Alright, then do me a favor and hit that Ursa," she commanded, much to the butler's confusion. He turned to the Ursa and looked it over before striking at its elbows and knees with a flurry of small punches and kicks. A minute passed before he stepped back and examined the extent of the damage he'd done. The Ursa remained standing. "Do it again."

Ash followed his mistress' order and once more hit the Ursa with another set of small attacks, but the metal alloy that kept made up the Ursa, hardly even bent. He stepped back once more and examined what he'd done, growing frustrated again at the sight of the unhurt Ursa. Once more, Weiss ordered him to try. He did so without question, going back to the Ursa to follow the order.

"Miss Schnee, would you mind telling me what is the point of this?" Glynda whispered to the heiress while the butler's frustration continued to grow exponentially. "Those training dummies are supposed to emulate the creatures' ability to absorb damage, but these were made stronger than the actual thing. You're only frustrating him beyond necessary."

"Does Ash know that?" she asked back, a smirk playing at her lips. Glynda nodded at the heiress, as they continued to watch the boy continuously throw blows at his inanimate opponent. Once more, Ash ended his string of blows, and stepped back to examine the undented metal alloy. "Alright Ash, do it once mo-"

Ash let out a frustrated yell and threw one more straight at the stomach of the Ursa, activating his semblance for the split second of impact. The training dummy flew back and shattered into five pieces as it hit the wall, joining its brethren on the pile of broken pieces.

"Fourth time's the charm I guess," Weiss joked, smiling as she and the professor and walked over to the butler, trying to calm his breathing. Weiss placed her hand on his shoulder and he turned to her with a slightly restrained expression of spite. "Ash, I'm sorry for doing that. I know that you're working hard to better yourself without actually fighting Grimm without my say so, and I appreciate that. But look at what you've done."

"All I see is that I let my emotions overwhelm me… again," he replied regretfully, his spite against the heiress more directed at himself now. He looked over at the now broken Ursa in the pile of broken dummy parts. "I don't even know why I bothered with those things. At this point, I'm just exercising rather than training."

"So you think," Weiss stepped away from him so that he was able to see her and the pile of Grimm dummies behind her. "Ash, there's just something that you refuse to understand: the difference between people and Grimm. You're countering and use of weak points is effective against people, but you've proven twice now that against Grimm it only leaves you open for attacks. That's why I wanted to show you what would happen if you just attacked with sheer strength. The only I saw to do that was to frustrate you."

Glynda took out her riding crop, and with a single wave and her semblance, she moved the Grimm dummy that remained intact. An Alpha Beowolf that towers over the butler. He gave the two of them a nod and they stood back, just in case something undesirable happens.

"Ash, this time, try not to use your semblance," Weiss requested. He gave her nod, and an appreciative smile.

He pushed himself into the air and struck the Alpha's abdomen as hard as he could. The dummy fell over with an imprint of his fist clear on the alloy. Glynda righted the Alpha so that the three of them could examine the dummy for the extent of damage dealt. Feeling more satisfied with the damage he'd done compared to the other ones, he smiled appreciatively at the heiress. Though now, the awkward feeling of straying away from his training now started to consume him.

"Do you understand the difference now?" Glynda asked, smiling at her student's accomplishment. Weiss gave an approving nod at her servant, being clapped on the back by the professor at the same time.

"I believe so," he replied, as he moved his shoulders in small circles and closing and opening his hands as if they were stiff. "Though I do feel rather awkward, straying away from my training like that. It's the same feeling as when I strayed away from General Ironwood's teachings."

"You've also been trained to fight people instead of Grimm, so it's only normal you feel awkward," Weiss reassured him, walking up to the Alpha and placed her hand over the dent, her servant's fist made. It was only half an inch deep, but if the professor's words were to be trusted, it would be deeper on an actual Alpha. "You just have to get used to this, that's all. Once you overcome that awkwardness, you'll attain your goal, you'll be a Hunter."

"Being a Hunter isn't my goal Miss Schnee," he corrected, getting down on one knee in front of Weiss, and putting his head down before closing his eyes. "My goal is to simply remain useful to you. By any means necessary."

"Remember my desire to relieve you of your position in the near future," Weiss reminded him, drawing the curiosity of their professor. Ash stood up and faced her with an unsure expression. "That is one thing that will not change, Ash. No matter what you may say, or whatever may happen. I will not keep you imprisoned in service."

"Is that what you see my desire to serve you Miss Schnee? A prison?" he asked, his expression was as if she had just stabbed him. Glynda took a step back, believing it would be best for the two to work it out by themselves, though is willing to step back in should it turn more violent. "If you think so, then by all means, relieve me now. It matters not to me when you do so as my promise to you still stand, even if you think of it nothing more than a nuisance."

Weiss strode over to Ash quickly and brought her left palm stinging against his right cheek. Ash's face was forced to the side and Glynda took half a step, but stopped by both Weiss and Ash looking to her as if to leave them alone. The two turned back to each other, Weiss glaring at her servant, while he looked at her to try to understand her spite.

"Why can't you understand that I'm doing this for you, you damned idiot?" Weiss asked, loudly, not caring if someone outside hears her, as long as she could get through her servant's thick skull. She grabbed him by his collar and brought him down close to her. "I don't want to be the cause of your death because of some blunder I'm bound to make! Why can't you understand that this is something that _I_ want to do?"

"I do understand Miss Schnee," he replied as calmly as he could, though now he couldn't help but return the same feeling of frustration that the heiress was feeling. "That is the exact same reason why I made that promise to you the way it is. I knew that we'd never see eye to eye in the matter, that is why I tried to make a compromise. I just never thought you saw my service as a prison."

"Don't you, at least, have some desire to be free from me? To view the world on your own?" Weiss asked, fearing that she would soon have to give up as he refused to see the situation from her perspective. Her grip slightly loosened, but Ash stayed where he was. "To find another dragon you can fall in love with?"

"Forgive my assumption Miss Schnee, but it seems to me that you're desire to, as you say, free me may have started with that intention, but strayed away from that when you found out about what I feel for you," he explained, narrowing his eyes at the heiress to find every expression she'd show him. Weiss's grip tightened around Ash's collar again, as she glared at him with dangerous and mixed emotions. "Your glare tells me I'm correct. I ask you again, if you are inconvenienced by it, then by all means order me to forget it. Otherwise I will continue to lo-"

Weiss loosened her grip on his collar, reeled her left hand back and brought crashing against Ash's cheek once more. Ash's face was forced to the side and once again, Glynda tried to step in, but was stopped when Ash held his hand up. The butler turned back towards her keeping his usual stoic expression. Weiss was still glaring at him, only this time with a bit of confused sorrow mixed in.

"Ash Valentine," she said, trying to restrain her emotions, though failing. Her right hand's grip on his collar loosened further until it dropped to back to her side. Her gaze was redirected to the ground and she took a step back. "I order you to forget you ludicrous infatuation towards me. You are to be nothing more than my… servant. Is that understood?"

"As you wish Miss Schnee," Ash got down on one knee and put his head down before closing his eyes.

Weiss took one more step back, before looking back up so that Glynda could see her expression. She expressed no emotion, and simply looked to the butler similar to the way he saw the two of them, with him being of lower status, no longer equal. She turned towards the door and exited without another word spoken between the three people. Ash only rose from the ground once Weiss' footsteps disappeared into the distance.

Glynda walked slowly towards the butler and found him expressing no emotion just like his mistress. She clasped a hand on Ash's shoulder, as if to comfort the stoic boy.

"I'm sorry you had to witness such a pointless dispute Miss Goodwitch," he remarked. Before Glynda could say anything, he spoke again. "I'd like a few more minutes to train with the Alpha dummy, alone, if you wouldn't mind. I'd much rather receive feedback against actual Grimm that an inanimate one."

Glynda soon left the room, saying her farewell to the student. She exited and pretended to disappear into the distance, but simply hid around the corner, still barely within earshot. It wasn't a few minutes later that a rather large crash resounded throughout the corridors emanating from the arena. Glynda waited a few more minutes, and spotted Ash exiting the room. Once he was clear from sight, she entered the room once more and found the Alpha lying on the ground in more pieces than the other ones put together.

Ash wandered the dark corridors aimlessly. Ozpin had told him that the door to his room had been immediately repaired courtesy of Glynda, but going back to the room this early in the night was a waste. He found his way to the pavilion and simply sat at one of the tables, doing nothing more than enjoying the night air. The sounds of metal clashing against metal softly resounded through the night, as well as the familiar struggling grunts of one Jaune Arc. He smiled at the thought of the two members of Team JNPR training until the night, as well as the near perfect relationship between the two, with the blonde's obliviousness being the only negative factor.

He took out his scroll and placed it on the table, managing to steal a glance at the screen where his Aura level was displayed. Despite recovering most of his Aura throughout the day after his duel with Lava, his Aura level was back at critical level after using his semblance more than necessary against the Alpha. He crossed his arms on the table and put his head down on them, closing his eyes in the process.

The nipping cold of the night was soothing, and the whistling of the wind was just loud enough for Ash to ignore everything around him. If something were to destroy this peace, he'd destroy it. He activated his semblance, simply letting the red smoke float to the pavilion's ceiling, before disappearing quietly into the air. After a little over half an hour of letting his semblance drain his Aura, he heard the familiar beeping of his scroll, telling him that his Aura level was very nearly depleted. The smoke that engulfed his form gradually disappeared completely as his Aura level reached zero. Immediately, Ash felt tired, as if he'd just ran mile after mile after mile without a break, without water, without sleep. And so, there in that pavilion, he fell asleep with the feeling of some ethereal being squeezing his heart.

* * *

Weiss immediately returned back to the Team RWBY dorm room after her dispute with Ash, walking in desperately concealing her hidden emotions towards Ash: sorrow, pain, confusion, hate. It was still early evening, therefore the room was empty, her teammates still out and about in Beacon doing Oum knows what. Weiss sat on her bed, uncertain of what to do next. She could take her shower and start preparing for bed, but it was too early. She could study or do homework, but with her mind currently suffering the worst hurricane of thoughts it has ever experienced before, she wouldn't be able to get much done. She was at a loss, and as much as she wanted to rid him of her thoughts, that small argument with Ash was all she could think of.

 _Is that what you see my desire to serve you Miss Schnee? A prison?_ Ash's words echoed in her head. Is that what she really thought of his service? A prison that he's forever trapped inside, and what about her? His warden? The word 'desire' continued the echo. If what he said was true, then it was he that trapped himself in her prison, it was he that appointed her his warden. Though the differences between the two perspectives were a few simple words, they couldn't have been further apart.

 _Forgive my assumption Miss Schnee, but it seems to me that you're desire to do so may have started with that intention, but strayed away from that when you found out about what I feel for you,_ another of Ash's arguments rang through her mind. She had the thought of relieving Ash from his position ever since she was just a young preteen, but not even she knew anymore if her motive remained the same now as it was back then.

 _I order you to forget you ludicrous infatuation towards me. You are to be nothing more than my… servant._ She dropped her head into her hands at the memory. Unable to decide whether she was in the right to order him to do so. In the heat and frustration of the moment, she had just said it without thinking of what would happen. Now she knew what Yang had meant about denying what she felt, cause now she's forced to forget everything that had remotely passed the veil of professionalism between her and Ash: the night of the prom, her taking advantage of him, his attacking her neck and shoulder on the roof top and in his room, everything. Even the locket on her chest now, burned her skin as if it was pure fire, and weighed more than the world.

She couldn't take back what she'd said she knew that. Ash wouldn't let her. She'd denied him his feeling, to give him freedom. After all, the only reason he wanted to stay with her was because he lov- had thought that she was the one he was meant to protect. He couldn't change it, how could he? No one can change destiny. Even so, she couldn't help the feeling of deep regret swelling up within her. She lied down on her bed, the warmth of the sheets and the peaceful silence of the dorm room lulling her to sleep.

Ruby shook Weiss awake nearly two hours later. Weiss' eyes bolted open and she sat up as quickly as she could, almost ready for a fight, but only found her three teammates in the room with no danger around. Weiss relaxed, and stretched her limbs and spine, popping a few vertebrae in the process.

"Ruby, what is the matter with you?" Weiss asked angrily, glaring at the cloaked leader. "While I appreciate you waking me up early, rather than late… Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Do you know where Ash is?" Ruby asked back, wearing an expression of urgency. Yang had a similar expression, while Blake was indifferent. "Miss Goodwitch is trying to look for him, but she can't find him anywhere on Beacon and he's not picking up his scroll. We can't find him, even with Team JNPR's help. We thought that you might've told him to do something. "

"I didn't, Miss Goodwitch was there when I last conversed with Ash," Weiss explained, getting up from the bed once Ruby gave her enough room to do so. Nevertheless, she didn't share the same feeling of urgency. "He's probably just in some blind spot of the security cameras. Moreover, he can take care of himself."

"And if he went into the forest?" Blake asked, narrowing her amber eyes at the heiress, daring her to stay indifferent in the matter.

"Miss Goodwitch and I helped him in that matter," Weiss explained, weighing whether or not Ash would actually make it in the forest. "He'll be able to handle Grimm, of course only to a certain extent, but he'll be fine. Now if that's all, I'll take a shower first."

Weiss walked in to the bathroom nonchalantly, much to the curiosity and concern of her teammates. Unable to do anything else, the three of them simply sat or lied down on their respective beds, hoping that Weiss was right, or that Blake was wrong. It was only a few minutes later that someone knocked on the door. Ruby volunteered and got up and opened the door to find the leader of Team LAVA behind it.

"Hey Lava, need something?" she asked in her bright and happy attitude, despite Lava's concerned expression.

"More like you guys need something," Lava replied, pulling out a scroll out of her pocket. The screen turned bright before showing Ash's picture on it. "I tried knocking on his door, but he wasn't there. I thought he was here."

"No, sorry," Ruby took the scroll from Lava and invited her fellow leader in, Lava having to extend her wings back, just to get in the door. Yang greeted the dragon, while Blake remained silent. Ruby held up Ash's scroll as if it was a prize for her teammates to behold. "This explains why Ash wasn't picking up, but we still don't know where he went to."

"Found it on one of the pavilion's tables," Lava explained, scratching her head wondering why it was there in the first place. "So something did happen?"

"No one can find him," Yang chimed in, facing away from the two leaders, distracted by something on her scroll. "We don't think he's anywhere on Beacon."

"That's a good assumption to make, I saw him leave earlier" Lava asked, oblivious to the problem with Ash going in to the forest alone. Yang jumped down from her bed, and walked to her the two leaders, scrutinizing the female dragon. "Something wrong Yang?"

"Is Ash, or Vargas or whatever you wanna call him, is he your brother?" Yang asked candidly, catching the winged leader off guard. Lava's wings involuntary shuddered at the question as she tried to form a response. "Look, we're not gonna tell anyone. I just don't like not knowing that he _and Weiss_ don't trust us enough for this."

"Yes," Lava meekly responded, her wings drooping to the floor, ashamed that she couldn't help but confirm the brawler's suspicion.

Yang nodded victoriously and clapped a hand on Lava's shoulder with a confident smile. Ruby's reaction was a bit less positive. She became flustered, unsure of what to do with the new bit of information, or if she can even act as if she doesn't know about it around Weiss and Ash. Blake hid her reaction; she hid her face behind a book. She had a small smile plastered to her face, happy to know that she wasn't the only Faunus hiding in plain sight, though granted that Ash's case was more of a forced one.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone, and I'll still act surprised when Ash finally tells us himself," Yang reassured the female Valentine. The brawler jumped back up to her bunk, and busied herself again with her scroll. "By the way, you said you saw Ash leave?"

"Yeah, I saw him disappear into the forest," she answered, proud of her brother to train even at the dead of night. The three members of Team RWBY dropped everything they were doing and looked to her like deer to headlights. "What's the matter with all of you?"

"Ash can't handle Grimm too well," Blake said cautiously, getting up from her bed while her two teammates jumped down from theirs.

"We have to go after him," Ruby announced, something they all agreed to. "Send your lockers to the front of the school, I'll tell Team JNPR to do the same and meet us there."

"My team will help too," Lava announced, receiving a nod from the team. She immediately pulled out her scroll and sent a message to her team, telling them to get their weapons and meet her at the front of the school. "You know, in hindsight, he should've told us that little piece of information. What about Weiss?"

"She doesn't care enough, let her stay," Yang said indignantly, sending her locker to the front of the school. Unable to help the guilty feeling swelling up inside her, she sent a message to Weiss' scroll for her to read later. "What are you guys waiting for? Let's go!"

The four of them left the dorm room, slamming the door shut, leaving Weiss to her shower, oblivious to the predicament of her servant.

The three remaining members of Team RWBY along with Lava, got to the front of the school where their rocket lockers were waiting for them along with their friends, already armed, even the members of Team LAVA. Aaron had two daggers, around two feet long, sheathed at both sides of his hip. Valora had a pair of hand crossbows strapped to her back. And Aiden had a large broadsword across his back. Ruby fished out Ash's scroll from her pocket and pulled out his Aura level just like Weiss had done before; his Aura level topped off at mere five percent, but dropped to four soon after.

"Hey guys we have a problem," Ruby announced holding out Ash's scroll so that they could all see his Aura level as well. Once more, his Aura dropped one percent and his scroll started to beep in alert. "I think he's just using his semblance, but why is he using his Aura?"

"Maybe he's almost out of reserve energy?" Pyrrha guessed, making the most logical sense in the matter. "Whatever the reason is, it hardly matters. He barely has enough Aura to ward off one attack."

"You're right, we have to go," Jaune agreed, his team being the first to move towards the forest.

"I'll fly around and see if I can find him," Lava announced, pulling out her scroll, ready to contact them. Without a weapon, reconnaissance was the best she could do. Sure she could still fight hand to hand, but air reconnaissance seemed the best way for her to help. "Keep your scrolls in handy, I'll contact you guys if I see him or if anything's coming your way."

"Stay near the area," Yang told her, momentarily stopping her from flight. "There's no way he could've gone too far."

With a nod, Lava unfolded her wings and beat her wings once, propelling herself to the air. The remaining six chased after Team JNPR into the Emerald Forest. It only took them a few minutes to find Team JNPR, inspecting a clearing with obvious signs of struggle. The ground seemingly tilled with rakes made of Beowolf claws, and tree trunks either marked with Beowolf or Ursa claws or split in half by some force.

Lava flew around them, scanning every single detail of the forest for any other forms of struggle while keeping an eye on the skies for Nevermores as well as the position of her friends. There wasn't much she could see with the seemingly never ending tree lines and the trees themselves obscuring her view. Though when trees fall over for no apparent reason, it was enough for her to venture on and investigate. She spotted Ash's tiny form calmly walking away from the fallen tree, before disappearing into the shadow of the tree line.

"Ash!" she called out, her voice ringing throughout the endless forest. She dared not use the name she knew him by, in case the others hear her. When he didn't reappear, she pulled out her scroll and called her team. "Hey guys, I saw him, but lost him again. Head directly to your right, that's where I lost him. Hurry."

They did as they were told and started running to where Lava mentioned. In a few minutes, they saw the fallen tree, split in half by some force slamming directly into it, but there wasn't any other sign to point them in the direction he went. Lava landed close to them, folding her wings as she joined them.

"Look, I know you guys weren't lying, but it kinda looks like he could handle himself just fine," Lava probed the three members of Team RWBY. They looked at each other, thinking back to what Weiss said about her and Glynda helping Ash with fighting Grimm. "So either he led you guys to believe that he was bad with Grimm, or he found something between then and now."

"By 'then' you mean, this morning, around noon," Jaune explained, looking around weapon and shield ready for anything that may come out from the darkness. "It doesn't make sense for anyone to learn enough in that small amount of time."

"We also don't know how long he's been out here," Pyrrha jumped in; looking around just like her partner, ready to fight anything that comes of the shadows. "He easily could've avoided big fights and singled out some loners."

"Heads up!" Nora exclaimed, turning her hammer into a grenade launcher and firing once into the darkness. They all waited in silence for the grenade to go off, but the pink explosion never came. Ash walked out of the shadows with the pink grenade in hand.

"A dud?" Aaron thoughtlessly said out loud.

"No Mister Shader," Ash explained, looking at the grenade in his hand, careful not to ignite the blast powder inside. "These require impact to ignite the gun powder inside, that is unless Miss Valkyrie decides to detonate it early. Thank you for not blasting my arm off Miss Valkyrie."

"You're not flying Ash," Nora replied, taking her hand off the trigger, as to not accidently blow it up.

"I see, so you can use it as flak," Ash muttered, further studying the grenade in his hand. A growl stopped his thinking and an Ursa appeared from the shadows to their side.

Ash gave up his study of the creature and threw the grenade at the Grimm, activating his semblance for a split second. Before the Ursa could move, the grenade smashed against its side and exploded, stunning it. Aiden capitalized on this and brought out the broadsword at his back, and rushed the Ursa.

The broadsword, blade and hilt together, was taller than its wielder. The hilt was a foot and a half long, while the blade was six foot long and nearly two feet wide. The blade resembled Yatsuhashi's sword, only whereas Yatsuhashi's sword had a flat back, Aiden's had an almost saw like feature and was gold in color. The blade's fuller was round with the tip seemingly collapsible, indicating an ability to morph into some form of firearm. In a single swing Aiden split the dazed Ursa in two. Aiden returned his sword at his back once more and rejoined his team.

"If I may ask, what are the eleven of you doing here this late at night?" Ash asked, curious to the appearance of the three teams. "I don't see Miss Schnee around."

"What are we doing here?" Yang asked mockingly, ready to pulverize the nonchalant butler with Ember Celica. "We came after you! What in Remnant are you doing here? You could barely handle two Beowolves this morning and now you feel you like taking on a forest full of those things?"

"That's hardly true Miss Xiao Long," he dismissed, stretching his limbs and spine by reaching up to the sky. "I've kept myself hidden for the most part, and only attacked lone Grimm. I didn't try and fight a group that I knew I couldn't handle. How did you all even find out I was gone?"

"Miss Goodwitch asked us to find you," Jaune explained, receiving a nod from the butler as he brought his left hand to his chin and hummed in thought.

"And you didn't really help the situation by leaving this behind," Ruby said, bringing out his scroll from her pocket. Ash walked up to them and retrieved his scroll from the leader, making sure to thank her. "We saw you're Aura going down so we had to find you."

"I may have encountered some… unfavorable situations and was forced to use my semblance to escape," Ash explained, checking his Aura level with the scroll. He saw what they panicked about, his Aura level still at the lower portion of the critical level. "It seems that I came out lucky. I never knew that my Aura was this low."

"You're way too calm for this whole thing," Valora chimed in, unsure whether or not to believe that the person in front of them is the same damsel in distress that they were looking. "We're in Grimm territory, you know?"

"I'm well aware Miss Hood," Ash replied, lowering the volume of his voice in case another Ursa was within the vicinity. "I was told that Grimm are attracted to negative emotions, therefore I'm choosing not to panic. It's how I managed to have a rather tame experience here. Well then, should we return to Beacon?"

Without saying another word or staying to listen to his friends' questions, Ash started walking back to the academy, following the route he took to get there, as well as the one that the eleven people behind him took to track him. The journey back was relatively uneventful, save for the few packs of Grimm that tried to intercept them. Ash participated in the fighting, but even with what he learned thus far, had trouble dispatching two or three Beowolves. Most of the fighting was done by Team LAVA, cutting through throngs of the creatures as if were as simple as breathing. Even the weaponless Lava kidnapped some of the Grimm and flew up high in the sky before dropping them. As they helplessly flailed around while they plummeted to the ground, Lava made a few passes at them, breaking bones and necks in a matter of second.

Once most of the Beowolf pack was dealt with, the remaining retreated back into the shadows, howling in the night, mourning their fallen members. Unfortunately, their howling attracted the attention of a lone Alpha. It stood nearly three yards tall covered in shadow like fur and bone armor from nearly head to toe. Though unlike other Beowolves like it, instead of its head encased in bone, only its mandible was armored.

"Well, we got rid of the Betas, but it looks like we woke up the Alpha," Aaron joked, morphing his silver daggers into machine pistols and aimed it at the Alpha. His amber eyes, seemingly glowing in the low lighting on the night, narrowed at his target. "Sorry bud, but there's only room for one wolf in this group."

"I never thought you'd feel threatened by something like that Mister Shader," Ash replied, playing along with the Faunus. "But if I may impose, I'd like to try what I've learned so far on this one."

"You wanna take that thing on by yourself?" Yang asked lowering her hands looking at the eager expression on the butler while the rest only had concern, either for his health, or his sanity. "You know you're not exactly an Aura bank right now right?"

"Ah, let him," Lava immediately jumped in, no longer questioning her brother's mindset, finding it too random to ever understand. The rest of her team soon followed and stood down, understanding their leader's plan. "If he gets himself hurt, I'll take care of it."

"If he dies?" Blake asked, watching Ash adjust the bracer on his left hand to a more comfortable position.

"Still working on necromancy, unfortunately," Lava joked, clapping her brother on the shoulder. "Alright Ash, show us what you got."

After a single nod to thank his sister, Ash ran towards the Alpha simply watching it for any movements, following General Ironwood's teaching for the time being. The Alpha ran towards him, training its red eyes on its significantly smaller target. Without a weapon, Ash was relegated to hand to hand, which he's proven twice now that his training with it puts him at risk, but it was something that couldn't be helped as of now.

The Alpha swung at him, forcing Ash to jump up to dodge the large claws. Thinking it's trapped the butler the Grimm opened its jaws and tried to bite down on Ash's chest. Once it was close enough, Ash grabbed the sides of its head and pushed himself out of the way of its jaws, flipping over it, making sure to force his elbows against its unarmored head as a test. It was similar in durability than any other unarmored body part, but tough nonetheless with the inner skull.

Landing just behind the giant Beowolf, Ash quickly recovered, grabbing the Grimm's left foot and pulled it back to trip the creature. The Alpha was left helpless, falling to the ground on its stomach. In an attempt to capitalize on capsizing his giant foe, Ash tightened his grip on the Grimm's foot and stepped on its calf as hard as he could while pulling on the foot up. Without Aura, the foot was quickly bent and broken, causing the Alpha to howl in pain. Ash was too slow to let go, however, and received a claw to the back when the Alpha decided to retaliate, reaching back as to scratch an itch. Ash's scroll began to beep uncontrollably, as his Aura depleted till only a single percent remained.

The force of the attack pushed Ash forward, away from the Alpha's foot and further behind it. With one foot broken, the Grimm was unable to stand and was forced to move on all fours. It turned around as quickly as it could, trying to get even with the Faunus that broke its foot. Before it could fully turn, Ash moved in the same direction the Grimm was turning, making sure to keep out of its sight. The Grimm's frustration grew and stopped to howl. Smaller Beowolves jumped out of the shadows and surrounded the Alpha, their eyes directed at the butler. Ash retreated a single step but remembered Weiss comment about showing his back to Grimm when there's a pack, and dared not to take another step back.

A loud gunshot blasted through the night sky, as one of the smaller Beowolves lost its head, leaving the body to disintegrate. Aaron appeared next to Ash, machine pistols trained at the pack of Grimm.

"We'll take care of the Betas, you focus on the Alpha," he said, reassuring the butler. With a nod, they broke off, Ash headed towards the growling Alpha, and Aaron along with the others picked off the smaller Beowolves.

Ash leaped into the air, attracting some of the Beowolves' attentions, leaping as well in an attempt to kill the butler. They didn't make it far, being peppered by bullets, ranging from Ruby's sniper rounds to Nora's grenades. As Ash got closer, the Alpha swung a claw at the butler. Remembering Weiss' advice a few hours earlier, Ash fought every single muscle memory, his training with General Ironwood telling him to deflect the telegraphed attack. Instead he focused all his energy on grabbing the wrist, despite being scratched by the claws in the process. Unfortunately a single percent of Aura wasn't enough to ward off the entire attack. The claws scraped his chest and back, leaving at least a few centimeters inside his flesh as he flipped past the hand.

Using his flip to add to his momentum, Ash brought his leg down on the elbow, breaking the bone and allowing Ash to physically rip off the arm from the elbow. The Alpha howled in pain once more, blood spilling out of what's left of its arm. Realizing that it was near death, the Alpha made the decision to take at least one person with it. It turned to Lava while she was distracted by one of the smaller Beowolves. Unable to see the danger behind her, and with everyone else occupied by the rest of the pack, Lava was left defenseless when the Alpha bit down on her wings.

Despite her Aura preventing her from taking immutable damage, Lava still screamed out in pain. Hearing her dilemma, Aaron stopped what he was doing and rushed to Lava's aid, but was blocked by other Beowolves. Lava was unable to do anything but watch her Aura level deplete, as she couldn't reach back far enough to do anything to the Alpha, with its teeth keeping her wings from moving.

All of a sudden, as if in a trance, the Alpha released her wings from its maw, and turned around towards Ash. The other Beowolves as well turned towards Ash as if in the same trance as the Alpha. Ash was in the distance, releasing smoke from every pore of his body, sacrificing his excess energy to keep it active. The Beowolves ran towards the butler, ignoring the remaining eleven people with them, similar to the way the three Beowolves ignored Jaune in Professor Port's classroom.

Once he knew that he had every Beowolf's attention, he started to run in the perimeter of the clearing they were in, dodging whatever attack he could. Unfortunately, with no Aura left and with a little over a dozen Beowolf as well as one heavily injured Alpha eager for his blood, he took several strikes from a mixture of claws and teeth. Very soon, the injuries he's sustained started to slow him down; despite the boost his semblance was giving him.

"Ash! Run towards us!" Ruby called out to him from somewhere in the middle of the clearing. With blood running down over his eyes from a gash on his forehead, he was unable to see her, but ran towards the sound of her voice nevertheless.

Out of one eye, he was able to see the nine, armed students in a line; ready to unload every single bullet and dust they had in his direction. Being unable to determine how much excess energy he had was a burden. Only becoming tired after a while was the only way he knew that he was bound to run out soon. Only Lava and Jaune were on the side, being the only ones without some firearm.

He focused his remaining energy to his legs and with his semblance, Ash broke past his limit in speed momentarily, making it past the line of students, giving his friends plenty of time to unleash every single bit of ammunition they had on the pack of Beowolves. The nine students started their assault as Ash dug his feet into the ground to offset his momentum. He fell to his knees, completely tired and bleeding. Lava ran up to him and placed her hand to his back. Her form started to glow blue and soon that glow engulfed even Ash. Almost immediately, his wounds started to heal despite his running out of Aura.

"It's my semblance," Lava explained, keeping one hand on Ash's back the whole time. "I can heal other people's wounds by sacrificing my Aura, or taking their wounds if I ran out."

"Similar to mine," Ash muttered, keeping his voice quiet as to not hint to the others that the two of them were somewhat related. "I'm able to use excess energy to fuel my semblance, though I risk being knocked unconscious for quite a while."

"A trait that every dragon shares," Lava explained with a distant sorrowful expression clear on her face. "I'll explain some other time, when I understand it well enough."

They were silent after that. Ash's mind asking questions about what she knew that he didn't. The night was filled the gunshots of their friends until every Beowolf lay dead on the ground, disintegrating. Soon after that, Ash was fully healed with plenty of Lava's Aura to spare. The ten students joined their two friends as Lava helped Ash up.

"I'm pretty sure all of that attracted a lot of attention," Jaune assumed, looking around to make sure that there wasn't any Grimm about to attack. "We have to get back to Beacon before any more show up."

They all agreed and made their way back to the academy. They would've run, but since the butler was very nearly out of energy, they kept it to a brisk walk. Whenever a creature of Grimm appeared before them, one of them tried to kill it quickly to keep the group moving. Eventually, they made it back to the academy where Glynda Goodwitch and Weiss Schnee were waiting for them.

"I see you all found this runaway," Glynda said vexed with the situation. Ash made his way to the front and kneeled in front of his mistress and professor, saying nothing. "Team LAVA, I'm sorry you had to be dragged into this. You all may return to your dorm rooms. Mister Valentine, you have to come with Miss Schnee and I."

They said their goodnights to each other and left the butler with the heiress and professor. Ash stood up as Glynda and Weiss began to walk back inside. Ash followed suit, wondering where his execution will take place.

"Ash," Weiss said calmly, but with obvious hints of spite. "Exactly what happened out there?"

As he followed them, Ash explained everything: his reasons for going to the forest, the eleven people going after him, and the problem they had to resolve on the way back. By the time he finished his story, they were already in the elevator that led to Ozpin's office.

"You could've died," Weiss said, now with more venom than relaxed. Ash nodded in agreement even though Weiss couldn't see him. "And what, pray tell, is this theory of yours that you desperately had to test?"

"Whether my Aura-less state was the cause of the Beowolves in Professor Port's class focusing on me earlier," he replied earnestly, closing his eyes before continuing. "And I was right. I think that my semblance plays a part in it, but I can't be too sure."

"And you'll have to find some other way to test that new hypothesis of yours other than in the field," Weiss continued, gritting her teeth in anger. She contemplated attacking her servant again, but held in her rage for the time being. "If you had died out there, then it would have been equivalent to you dying because of me."

"I do not care for your opinion on the matter Miss Schnee," Ash replied without thinking. He regretted saying it, but it was one comment that he couldn't take back, or would he have if he were able to. "Because the fact of the matter is that I am alive right now, and in the future should you find yourself in a less than favorable situation, I'd be able pull attention away from you."

"Even if it costs you your life," Weiss continued, her tone clear that she was tired of hearing the same phrase spew out from his lips. "I know already. I'm tired of listening to you say that line. Should I find myself in that situation, I order you to look the other way and live for yourself. Am I understood?"

"Yes Miss Schnee," Ash bowed to the heiress, curling his hands into fists. Glynda was stunned to hear Ash accept the order. She knew that the phrase meant he had to follow it, but this one countered his promise to her. "I just want you to remember what I learned when you were crying in your room."

"Ash! This is one order that you have to absolutely fulfill, without any questions!" Weiss exclaimed, turning to him, grabbing him by his collar, and pushing him up against the wall. "I thought I made myself clear."

"And you did Miss Schnee," whereas Weiss was glaring at him, Ash could only look into her eyes, looking for the mistress he had lost. "I understand what you want me to do, but that is one order I will surely ignore. Go ahead and throw your spite and curses at my corpse afterwards."

"Do you wish for death?" Weiss pushed her curled hands further against Ash's throat, slightly choking the butler. Ash shook his head, forcing Weiss to think that she'd finally get through to him, but a part of her refused to believe it was that easy. "Then tell me, what do you wish for?"

"I wish to free you of your shackles to the Schnee name, for you to meet your loved one, and for you to live a long and happy life. I do not care if I am not a part of your future."

"And why is that?"

"Because I am expendable," Weiss pushed further against Ash's throat, disabling the butler from breathing. He returned her glare as much as he could, as he struggled to breathe. "Simply plucked off the street as a child for the very purpose of being used once before you discard me."

"Shut! Your! Mouth!" Weiss yelled, pushing her fists fully against Ash's throat, fully closing his trachea, and causing Ash to let out a strained cough. Glynda quickly separated the two with her semblance, keeping the heiress on one side of the elevator as Ash was attacked by a series of coughing fits. "I've never once seen you as a servant! You were always the friend I was able to turn to when I couldn't even turn to my family! How dare you try and take that person away from me?! If you're saying that friend of mine was simply a fake, then just leave now! Leave Beacon and never show yourself in front of me again!"

"Then make it official," Ash said as calmly as he could after his coughs.

"I order you to leave Beacon!" Weiss exclaimed, fighting against Glynda's semblance. "I order you to leave me alone! I order you to never show yourself to me ever again! I order you to return to the dirty street rat you were when we first met! I hereby relieve you of your position!"

The elevator door opened and Ash pushed past both heiress and professor and made his way to the headmaster of Beacon. Both Weiss and Glynda stepped out of the elevator soon after, witnessing Ash slam his scroll on Ozpin's desk, not caring that the scroll broke in the process.

"Consider this my resignation Ozpin," Ash simply said before heading back to the elevator. As he passed her, Ash whispered one final farewell to the heiress with a melancholic caring tone, instead of the sarcastic one she expected. "So long Miss Schnee. I hope the rest of your days are happy ones."

Ozpin barely had enough time to process what just happened before Ash completely disappeared from sight, leaving his student and colleague in the room with him. Weiss fell to ground, weeping at the loss of her friend; unable to decide whether or not it would have been better for him to die for her like he wanted.


	20. (Extra) Listen Closely

**Treat This Like A One-Shot. It'll All Be Explained In The Next Few Chapters.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Ash was working in the forge along with Augus, fixing the numerous broken tools that was laid out in front of them, even more outside simply waiting, and the two were expecting more villagers to come by to drop off more. They'd been at it for a myriad of hours with no breaks to neither eat nor even to just escape the near unbearable heat of the fire and molten metal. They forced themselves to bear with it, having so little time to work with, but the work seemed endless. When they had finished repairing, or even at times forging from scratch, a single tool, two more are dropped off outside. The frustration of simply being unable to work fast enough to counterbalance the number of repaired tools to the number of broken ones was getting to them, and the heat of the forge and the lack of food definitely wasn't helping.

Ash was a guest at the Sterling household in a village consisting of only Faunus, south of Vale. Augus Sterling, along with his daughter Angela Sterling, was a family of cat Faunus with the tail of a black cat hanging from their lower back. Unfortunately, Augus' wife had passed away giving birth to Angela, thus they had never met. They'd taken in Ash nearly a couple months ago after some unforeseen and unfortunate circumstance had befallen him. And now, to show his appreciation towards them, he'd been helping everyone out around the village in whatever way he could, whether it's as simple as fetching buckets of water from the a nearby river, or something as complicated as helping repairing broken tools.

A few days ago, a Goliath went berserk nearby, throwing large boulders at the roads along with countless of trees before the Hunters came in and put it down, but the damage had already been done. With the roads closed, merchants and other travelers coming to the village would have to risk their lives just to go around them. With the village's main income coming from the merchants, they had no choice but to clear the road, at least enough for travelers to get through. Unfortunately, that was a task much more difficult to do than said. From the total five roads closed, after three days, they were only able to clear one, the main one leading to Vale. Every single able-bodied person was asked to help out in the project, but with a limited amount of tools, not to mention that they were breaking after constant use, it was taking them a long time to clear one boulder. So far, they're close to clearing the second road, but everyone was open to any suggestion to clear the roads some other way.

Though they were already working slow enough, many of the people in their teens or early twenties decided to take the day off. No one really blamed them; it was Valentine's Day after all. Ever since dawn, many of them were already missing along with their significant others, going into walks into the forest, having a picnic at their favorite spots, and who knows what else. The only one around the age who remained working was Ash himself, and everyone could only thank him for it, especially Augus.

With the amount of time Ash had been there, no one had really gotten to know him too well other than Augus and Angela. All they knew about him was that he had come from Vale, leaving the safety of the city for some reason or other, his speech was overly formal much to their slight discomfort and some great comfort, and that he was a Faunus like them only with the appendages cut off. For any other information, they could only guess. No one was entirely at fault: Ash was secretive, and they all never really worked up the courage to ask him for more information. Though now that it was Valentine's Day, the question of his romantic nature has plagued the minds of husbands and housewives, and even some of the younger couples. He was hardworking, and wasn't the worst looking person, some would even go as far to call him some prince of a fallen kingdom, therefore it was a rather curious mystery that he doesn't have anyone in mind, or that no one has him in mind.

Dusk would soon start to envelop the world and everyone had already returned from their excursion, albeit from their romantic journey with their significant others or from the exhausting work of clearing the roads. They'd all decided that the following day would be spent recovering from the backbreaking work, a decision that was met with absolutely no opposition. Though everyone else had already stopped working, Augus and Ash continued their repairs. The sound the two of them hammering away at heated metal and grinding blades and tips to a very sharp point could be heard throughout the village. With everyone else no longer working, they were able to offset the ratio that they were unable to defeat early in the day. Eventually, they were able to reduce the number of tools needing repair to half a dozen, but Augus has had just about enough.

"Ash, let's call it a day," he raised his voice so that Ash could hear him over the sound of his hammering. Ash stopped momentarily, placing down the heated metal and the hammer on the metal table that he was on the first time he had arrived in the village, wiping his forehead with the back of his left forearm of sweat. Augus reached back and held his lower back in pain. "Finish up what you're doing and come back inside, I'd say we earned ourselves a feast and a much needed rest. We have tomorrow off, so I say we sleep in. What do you say?"

"We've only got a few more tools left to fix Augus," Ash countered, looking to the tools that still lay broken and dull as well as the one he was already working on. "I'd like to get this done before everyone has to work again."

"This problem is not something that you should be this invested in," Augus retaliated, walking up to the boy and taking the hammer from him to force him to look up into his eyes. "You're not even getting paid for this. I take back what I said, and let's go back inside now. We can finish the rest tomorrow."

"Then how about a deal?" Ash asked, taking back the hammer. The proposal peaked Augus curiosity and simply remained silent to see what the dragon had in mind. "I'll repair all of these tonight and in turn, I'd like to borrow that guitar that you have tucked away in your room. If it's only there gathering dust, then might as well use it instead."

"Oh? Looking to serenade someone huh?" Augus teased the boy, laughing when Ash laughed, telling him that he was wrong. However, the fact that Ash began showing at least some interest in something else other than just helping out was enough to get the cat Faunus to give in. "All right, you've got yourself a deal. I'll have it out in the living room for you. Just be sure to bring it back would you? That guitar is actually my wife's."

With that, Augus left Ash alone in his forge, looking forward to cleansing himself of the dirt that stuck to his skin and the sweat that dried up from the heat of the forge. He'd soon exit from his shower, feeling refreshed, and he's hear Ash still working in the forge. Augus began to fix him, Ash and Angela a large dinner consisting of fish, while he continued to listen to Ash hammer or grind away at the metal he was working in. Once dinner was done, he called Angela out of her room and the girl came bouncing out of it the scent of fish giving her all the energy in the world. The two of them ate without Ash, enjoying their meal for the night.

Several hours later, Angela had already gone to her room and had fallen fast asleep. Augus fought off his drowsiness and waited for Ash to finish, the guitar he'd requested sat next to him, waiting for the dragon to use it. The sound of metal on metal died down and Ash soon entered the house with sheen of sweat sticking to his skin and dirt clinging to that.

"Good work, now go freshen up, I'll heat up the food," Augus ordered, only receiving a nod from Ash as a response.

The dragon sluggishly made his way to the shower and began to clean himself of dirt and grime, while Augus heated up Ash's portion of the meal, adding a bit more as an extra reward for the boy. Ash exited the shower, wearing nothing more than a white towel around his waist, showing of his scars to the world, both the black stumps on his back and the scars that he'd received from the Grimm. Augus laid out a plate of the fish on the table as well as a bowl of broth for Ash to use as warm soup and an empty glass so that Ash could get himself a drink later. With one final 'goodnight' Augus disappeared into the room he once shared with his wife.

Ash went into the guest room where clothes were already laid out in front of him: a plain black short-sleeved shirt and a pair of gray sweats. He exited the room with the fresh clothes donned on, and ate quietly and became lost in thought, searching his memory for what he needed. He hardly even tasted the food laid out in front of him, distracted by his thoughts. By the time he was done, he'd found the memory he was looking for. He picked up the guitar and left the house, unaware of the little girl that followed him from a distance. Ash disappeared into the forest with the guitar in one hand and Angela on his tail.

After a few minutes of constant walking and climbing up a nearby mountain, Ash had finally reached his destination: a cliff that had a clear view of the city of Vale and even Beacon in the distance. Between him and the city were miles after miles of dense groves of trees, littered with dangerous creatures of Grimm. He sat down on a long flat rock near the cliff and placed the guitar comfortably on his lap. Truth be told, he had only played the guitar once, with the violin usually taking the place if the instrument for what he meant to use it for, but that one time is enough because it was one unforgettable memory.

He strums the guitar, fixing the tension of the strings and practicing a little. From a distance, Angela snuck away from the area and made her way back to the village. She knocked on every single door, rousing everyone from their sleep, even her father. She told them to follow her and without question, they did so, more curious as to what got the girl so excited than they were angry. She lead them towards where Ash was practicing and stopped them far enough for them to hear him without attracting his attention.

Ash, satisfied with what he practiced, began to play the guitar, softly strumming a melody that he repeated only a little bit revised from the one before. He breathed in deep and began to sing the song from his memory.

* * *

Valentine's Day at any of the academies when it's filled with students from all over the world could be counted as one of the worst days of the year. It was absolute chaos, with every couple, every would-be couple, and especially every should-be couple littering some part of the academy at any given time either sucking face or being overly mushy, and frankly, Weiss was severely uncomfortable with it all. The holiday was given to the students as a free day so that they could enjoy their youth more than they'll be able to after they graduate as full-fledged Hunters. However, even the kindness of the staff could sometimes be deemed as 'too kind.'

Weiss figured that when they came up with such a rule, they had forgotten to factor in the fact that they were still teenagers with 'urges.' She was thankful that the rooms were shared otherwise she dreaded to think of the things she'd hear through closed doors. Those that couldn't resist the 'urges' went into the city to rent some poor hotel room. But that wasn't the most problematic part of the day for her. No, it was the fact that despite the supposed happy holiday, there was many who she could've sworn were chronically depressed. There were many who made it their goal to confess to their crushes this very day only to either be rejected or beaten to the punch by some other lucky person.

Luckily, neither her nor her friends were part of the negative group, however, a majority of them were up to their heels with confessions and overall frustration towards the obliviousness of their friend or crush, this of course meant Jaune Arc. The leader remained utterly oblivious to the feelings of someone so close to him and Yang had nearly ripped her head, or his head off, at yet another failed plan to get him to notice Pyrrha's infatuation towards him.

The plan for the day was to have Pyrrha fall asleep with his extra hoodie around her with the most satisfied expression on her sleeping face, and it would've been the perfect plan if the Arc's mind were able to comprehend it. When Pyrrha awoke, not only did the boy dismiss as something that Pyrrha normally does, much to her confusion, but he had to make it worse by asking the girl if she'd allow him to wear a spare of hers as well. It proved too much for the girl and she became a temporary mime, only able to communicate through body language for the next few hours.

Weiss, Blake, Yang, and Pyrrha have been confessed to so many times that day that they had to hide in their dorms to avoid breaking any more hearts. They only left the rooms to eat and to get something from somewhere, albeit a book from the library or simply just to converse with one of the professors. No one dared to work up the courage for Ruby cause of Yang's watchful eyes and sixth sense when it comes to her younger sister, though the leader did get quite a number of chocolates and she wasn't willing to share. Nora, to the entirety of Beacon, was already with someone. With dusk falling upon Vale, students have returned from their 'exciting' excursions and the number of people roaming or loitering in the halls and garden of Beacon has died down, much to the relief of Glynda Goodwitch.

There wasn't much else to do for the day, classes will start the following day so it was back to the usual: studying, training, fighting, testing, and stressing. Team RWBY was in their dorm simply just relaxing from the considerably busy day. Ruby was eating more of her chocolates, despite Weiss' warnings that she'll get fat. Ruby of course ignored her partner and continued to eat the chocolates anyway. Weiss was just lying down on her bed similar to Blake and Yang, completely exhausted from dodging other students.

"How many?" Yang asked from her bunk, not really bothering to direct the question to anyone in particular. She received a groan from both Weiss and Blake as they turned to their side facing away from the brawler. "Yeah, me too."

"Oh come on guys, Valentine's Day is great! It's like Christmas, except, you know, for chocolates instead of presents," Ruby argued, as she moved on from one bag of chocolates to a batch of cookies that Velvet had made for her, and it was because of that, that the rabbit Faunus received a hug from the cloaked leader whereas everyone else only got a 'thank you.' "I don't get why you guys are so tired. We didn't even have classes today."

"Can't wait till it's your turn," Blake mumbled loud enough for her friends to hear. Blake received a hum in agreement from Weiss and Yang, while the response only confused Ruby.

The night was still young and sleeping early would only prove to ruin her sleep schedule, so Weiss got up from her bed and exited telling her teammates that she'll be back later. She made her way to the rooftop where she and Ash went to before and simply leaned forward on the railing, looking due south. It would be around this time that Ash would play her a violin piece, or for the last Valentine's Day, a guitar and a song. She smiled at the memory, slowly losing herself in it. Before the memory took complete hold of her, she looked down and found the leader of Team LAVA and her partner walking around together in the garden all by their lonesome, as well as every single window open to let in the cool breeze. She may have been slightly unappreciative of the unexpected freedom that the staff of Beacon have granted the students, but it was Valentine's Day, and she'll be damned if she doesn't at the very least celebrate it, and while she's at it, why not have the entirety of Beacon celebrate with her.

The melody of the song Ash sang to her a year ago began to play in her head. It was rather repetitive, but it was something her singing teacher had described as a 'canon.' A melody that would repeat itself in the same or in a similar variation, but would never lose its beauty, rather it would become much more meaningful. The light strumming of a guitar became much more apparent in her mind as she took a deep breath and began to sing, dragging all of Beacon into a what she imagined to be a duet with the dragon that was once her butler.

* * *

 _It was another eventless Valentine's Day in the Schnee family household and Weiss and Winter were in Weiss' room simply talking while Winter brushed her sister's long hair. Normally, it was always Ash that was brushing her hair, but according to Klein, he'd been running around the city of Atlas the entire day, fulfilling the orders given to him by one of the Schnee's, and now he was in his room fast asleep, only to do the same the following day. With Ash gone all day, Weiss had felt a little lonely, but it wasn't anything spending time with her sister couldn't fix. What she was more disappointed about was that she was going to ask him to help her find out who was the person that has been appearing every Valentine's Day to play her a violin piece for the past seven years._

 _She'd try every year after the first, only to end up only finding a note with a rose on it where the person was. It had always said the exact same thing: 'I hope I appear in your dreams, my sweet princess. Until I see you again.' She tried to ask Klein to help her figure out who the person was, but being presented with only a rose and a note he wasn't able to do much. Neither the note nor the rose had any fingerprints on it, and the note was printed out, disabling anyone from tracing the handwriting to the writer. For the past, three years, she tried using her semblance to catch her secret admirer, but ended unsuccessful on all three attempts._

 _This time she had a different plan. She'd used aggressive methods to try and figure out who the person was, but this year she was willing to go for a different approach. The usual time came closer and closer, and ten minutes before her admirer usually showed up, she thanked Winter for her time and was soon alone in her room. She opened the window and looked down searching for the admirer, hoping that this year he or she would mess up and allow her a glimpse of at least their form. No such luck as ten minutes passed and only the shadows had moved. After a few minutes of staring at the ground below her, she saw another shadow move, but at a much faster rate than the others._

 _She looked up and saw a white paper airplane flying away from the manor before the wind blew and directed its trajectory back at the house, mainly Weiss' window. She moved out of the way and the airplane landed on the floor of her room. She picked it up and unfolded it, reading the contents inside._

 _'Hello my beautiful princess,_

 _I heard that you're planning to study at Beacon Academy in Vale. Unfortunately, I will not be able to follow you there, so this may be our last Valentine meeting. But please do not forget me. Listen closely, Weiss. This is my farewell to you.'_

 _Outside, she heard the strumming of a guitar. It was soft and repetitive, something that her singing instructor had called a canon. The same chord was strum over and over again with only slight variations every time it's repeated. Overall, it was pleasant to listen to. The change from violin to guitar was definitely a welcomed change. While she enjoyed the violin pieces the person has done before, the guitar was enjoyable in different ways; mainly that it was so much more casual than a violin. It was only when the person started to sing that she was actually surprised._

 _"Waiting for your call, I'm sick_

 _Call, I'm angry_

 _Call, I'm desperate for your voice_

 _Listening to the song we used to sing in the car_

 _Do you remember, Butterfly, Early Summer_

 _It's playing on repeat_

 _Just like when we would meet, like when we would meet."_

 _His voice was soft, feeling like a whisper, and comforting, as if the song was a lullaby instead of the sudden and strong ballads she was so used to listening to. Even her own opera-like songs seemed so different from it, and for some reason, that difference felt like exactly what she needed, a difference from the normal and boring everyday activities that she was forced to do._

 _His voice was restrained, held back just enough to change the tone of his voice to one that she wasn't able to recognize. She had to wonder if he was someone she knew and he didn't want to found, thus explaining the desire to hide his true voice, much like her voice changes when she sang. Or it could also be that his voice was just that to begin with. Either way, now that she's heard his voice, her curiosity to learn his identity only increased in intensity. She wanted to use her semblance again, to scale the manor, clearing the small distance between him and her and find out his true identity, but it would also mean that she would risk stopping him in the middle of his performance and disappear. Though that was a method she tried before and in only ended in failure._

 _Below her, she could see open windows with some of the live-in servants leaning out their windows listening to the performance as well. The only window that wasn't open was Ash's, with the boy that, what she thought at the time, was asleep. If she were to stop him now, then not only will she depriving herself of enjoying her annual Valentine's Day event, something that she's always looked forward to every single Valentine's Day, but she'll also be depriving others of the same pleasure. She summoned whatever resolution she had and remained in place, simply enjoying her admirer's supposed farewell to her before she left for Beacon Academy._

 _"I was born to tell you I love you,_

 _And I am torn to do what I have to,_

 _To make you mine_

 _Stay with me tonight."_

 _His voice increased in volume slightly though still kept the smooth, calm, and soft tone as he sang the chorus. Along with his voice, even strumming of the guitar increased in intensity, forcing the canon melody to echo lightly throughout the manor grounds adding the illusion of multiple guitars playing together as some sort of band._

 _She flushed lightly, coloring her cheeks a light pink even under the limited light that the moon emitted. It wasn't the first line that got her attention, but the last one. The thought of her admirer revealing himself to her just to stay with her even for just the night was a lot more embarrassing than him someone she either knew or didn't know telling her that he loves her. What's more is that with her teenage mind, the words of the third line implied several things that she wasn't sure she'd be alright with if he stayed with her for the night, even if it was just to talk._

 _Below her, she could see some of the servants pairing up with their significant others and dancing along with the melody. Though she knew that this performance was strictly for her, she couldn't help but feel jealous of those who had their partners by their side. She found herself imagining of the person singing on the roof making his way down to her room and performing in the confines of her room and afterwards they would dance. It wouldn't have struck so strange if it weren't Ash that she imagined climbing down from the roof._

 _She'd never seen Ash as a romantic partner, only her most loyal servant and friend, someone she could always confide her secrets and frustrations to without much care that whatever she confided in him would somehow end up the talk of the world. He was her rival in combat and someone she could trust enough for her to ask him to help was her back when she wanted to take a bath, and even someone that she knows would stay by her side when she was sick even though it meant that he'd end up catching whatever she had, disabling him the following day. However, for that night, for that moment in her imagination, she wouldn't mind it._

 _"Stripped and polished, I am new, I am fresh_

 _I am feeling so ambitious, you and me, flesh to flesh_

 _'Cause every breath that you will take when you are sitting next to me_

 _Will bring life into my deepest hopes_

 _What's your fantasy?"_

 _As the new verse continued, her admirer's voice began to increase in volume again, this time to the point where it was like he was trying to get her attention from the cacophony of voices from a large crowd, but like before, kept the smooth tone of his voice. He was sending her a message with the song; that she knew now, now she only needs to listen to the rest of the song to be able to decipher it, but how could she focus on the message when she found herself starting to get caught up in his performance._

 _Her heart began to beat faster and louder within her chest, almost painfully so. Her cheeks were not an even brighter and prominent shade of pink. She was sure that she'd die of embarrassment if Winter saw her the way she was now. These performances have always filled her with joy, feeling that there was someone out there that saw her as the most important person in the world even if it was only for a single day of the year. There was Ash, but she only thought of it as nothing more than his duty at the time. Then again, her imagination running wild with the thought of Ash and her dancing in the confines of her room without the usual hundreds of eyes on them whenever they do so certainly didn't help the situation._

 _There were also the words 'flesh to flesh' in the verse. She had no idea what he wanted her to think, but what she thought of was one that she'd never even thought of before, much less with her butler incorporated in the fantasy that the song forced her to view._

 _Below her, the servants were all laughing as they danced together, with some even going a little further than mere dancing. Nevertheless, no matter what they were doing, they were all enjoying the song, without getting caught up in some fantasy like Weiss was. She was only taken out of her disarrayed thoughts, trying to decipher what he meant by 'flesh to flesh' when the chorus began again._

 _"I was born to tell you I love you,_

 _And I am torn to do what I have to,_

 _To make you mine_

 _Stay with me tonight."_

 _The chorus calmed her down and reorganized her thoughts by discarding the words that confused her. It was like he was whispering to her once again, and the calm tone spread to her, calming her heart and the blood that was rushing to her cheeks. It seemed to her that his voice was echoing in her ears, being reorganized to bring it to a more familiar point. Once more, she thought of Ash, but she could from her window that he was fast asleep in his bed with the covers covering his body completely, and turned away from her, leaving only his hair in her view._

 _"And I'm tired of being all alone,_

 _And this solitary moment_

 _Makes me want to come back home."_

 _The three lines took her out of her thoughts and fantasy, bringing her to her memories instead. She remembered the countless times that she had felt alone due to her father prioritizing the company over his youngest daughter. It was as if her admirer knew her well enough to understand her plight, only her room, where she spent her time alone, made her feel like she belonged, a place she could always come back to and call home._

 _The three lines were repeated four times, each time louder than before, only reaching to the point that his voice had reached before. With how most songs go, she was able to guess that the song was nearing its end, probably just a run through the chorus once more. She tried to release herself from her memories, but as if it was alive, it would drag her back, keeping her where she was. At that moment, she wished nothing more than to just enjoy the last few lines of her admirer's song, and once more Ash was there to help her. A memory of him standing over her when he had beaten her once again in a spar suddenly took over her. He was reaching his hand out to her, for her to take and help her back up to her feet. She took it, and once her hand touched his, she was back to her room. She hurried to the window and leaned her forearms against it, fulfilling her wish._

 _"I was born to tell you I love you,_

 _And I am torn to do what I have to,_

 _And I was born to tell you I love you,_

 _And I am torn to do what I have to,_

 _To make you mine_

 _Stay with me tonight."_

 _The melody of the song soon ended with the final three notes hanging in the air for a few moments. Once again, her admirer released a paper airplane to the air and the wind blew again to direct it back to the manor and to Weiss. She caught it and unfolded it immediately, reading the words contained inside._

 _'Did you like the song, Weiss? I thought that since this might be the final meeting on Valentine's Day, it would be so much more special and memorable if I sang to you. I an only hope that I was right.'_

 _"I did like it," Weiss answered, raising her voice slightly to ensure that he was able to hear her. Her eyes drifted down, momentarily forgetting that all the windows were open, allowing the servants to hear her conversation with her admirer. Though now they were closed, as if they'd never been open before. Glad that she could have the conversation in peace, she looked to the sky again. "And it did make it more memorable than the times before. I won't forget you, so will you wait for me to return so that I could hear you play again?"_

 _There was a pause before another paper airplane was thrown into the air again, only for the wind to bring it back to the one it was meant for. Weiss was slightly disappointed that he refused to use his voice to talk to her and relied on paper airplanes, but at least this way, she was actually able to hold some exchange of words with her admirer instead of him disappearing when she tried to get close. She unfolded the piece of paper and read it, a little stunned and happy that this one was hand written instead of the usual printed ones._

 _'Instead of waiting for you to return, will you wait for me to come back to you so we could do this again?'_

 _"Yes!" she immediately, not caring that she accidently raised her voice from pure elation to reply to the question. Before her excitement could continue to dictate her voice's volume, she breathed in deeply and continued in a calmer manner. "I'll wait for you, so please pay me another visit on Valentine's Day. I already look forward to the next time."_

 _Another pause filled the air, and another paper plane took flight before being blown by the wind to fly through her window. Excited by the reply, she caught it as soon as it was within her reach. Once more, she unfolded it and read._

 _'Then maybe next time, it'd be possible for us to dance as well?'_

 _"I would like that," she replied, a longing smile forming on her face. Before she could continue with whatever she had in her thoughts, another paper plane was released. When she got hold of it, she unfolded it immediately._

 _'As would I, my princess. But for now, I must end our time together for tonight, and ask of you to keep me in your dreams, for you would be in mine forever more. Goodnight, Weiss. Know that I will always be by your side, no matter what may happen.'_

 _"If I'm your princess," she began to say, clutching the pieces of paper close to her heart. She never knew that something as normally insignificant as paper could ever spread such warmth throughout her being. "Then does that make you my prince?"_

 _As of then, she wasn't sure what she heard after that. She could've sworn that the voice that replied was Ash's but he was asleep in his room; it was absolutely impossible for him to be the one who said 'I'll be whatever you want me to be.' It also could've been simply her imagination running wild on her again. She did fantasize about him earlier, after all._

 _Figuring that she'd get nowhere with the predicament, she dismissed it as a simple illusion and carefully hid the paper in her hand inside one of the drawers of her desk, to look at later at another time. She lied down on her bed, ready to sleep, with her admirer's song looping from start to finish in her head. That night she dreamt of her and a masked person she immediately recognized as her admirer dancing with eyes of spectators on them, but the two were having the time of their lives._

 _She couldn't be any happier._

* * *

Ash's song ended and he breathed in the cool mountain air, keeping his gaze trained at Beacon academy with a satisfied smile. He placed the guitar on the ground, leaning against the rock he was sitting on and looked up at the sky, watching the moon and the stars very slowly roll by along with the dark clouds. This was the first Valentine's Day that he'd spent without Weiss ever since they met ten years ago, but even then he didn't know why he still felt satisfied despite the distance between them now.

He had been lost in his memory of the last Valentine's Day, where he sang the same song to Weiss on top of the manor. He'd been prepared then to allow her to catch him in the act if she had decided to use her semblance once more to find out her admirer's secret identity. However, when she decided to be still, and allow him to continue his performance without being overcome with the urge to find him, he was more excited to reveal himself to her the following Valentine's Day, but that wasn't the case anymore. She already knew that her admirer was him and now they spent the day without the other.

The villagers hidden behind the trees and rocks all began to disperse, going back to the village before their secret eavesdropping session could be discovered by the only person that didn't know. Once they were in a safe distance from Ash, they all thanked Angela for waking them when she did, enabling them all to enjoy the holiday despite the harrowing work they had to do for the day. And now, they had a clearer picture of who Ash really is. They now saw him as someone who had someone waiting for him back in the city, and that for some reason, that they wouldn't ever try to pry for him.

"I wonder who was the person he was singing to," one of the villagers asked as they all walked back to the village. Angela immediately got in front of them and had the biggest smile on her face.

"He was singing to the princess and Ash is the prince," she answered childishly. The villagers doubted her words, but they wouldn't ever say it, besides, who know? The girl may be right, and maybe there was a princess waiting for Ash back in Vale. "He said that she has the voice of angel and that when she sings it breaks your heart."

They continued to walk with the same question in all their minds: how would a duet between the two sounds like? They doubted they'd ever hear such a thing, but that didn't mean they couldn't hope.

Ash remained at the cliff for a while longer; simply looking towards Beacon wondering what Weiss was doing at this time. It wouldn't come as a surprise to him if she was already asleep, but if his memory served him correctly, Valentine's Day was a free day for the students, where they were allowed freedom, but only to a certain extent. He wondered how many have worked up the courage to confess to her, or maybe he should be wondering how many have she rejected throughout the day. He'd wonder if Neptune asked her, and if so, whether or not she accepted. Out of everyone he could think of, she couldn't think of anyone else having as high of a chance as Neptune.

And while he was at it, he also wondered what of everyone else. He figured that Yang would be destructively overprotective of her younger sister, thus ensuring that no one would dare get overly familiar with Ruby. Although, he was sure that there were many who gave the fifteen-year-old chocolates either way. Blake was popular around Beacon as the mysterious and silent beauty, waiting for someone to understand her; Yang would also prove to be their downfall for the situation. Asking Yang, on the other hand was a risk all on its own. Just working up the courage to do so was either deemed courageous or suicidal. Ash could only laugh at what he imagined the day must've been for all of them.

Ash laid down on the rock, simply staring at the sky, looking at the stars as if trying to find the constellations. In truth, his thoughts were elsewhere. He could've been staring at the most amazing sight in Remnant and it wouldn't have even registered in his mind. His thoughts were swimming in his memories of happier times with Weiss. Despite the lack of protective clothing from the cold, he felt warm. For a while, he just lied down there on the rock, laughing at times when he remembered something humorous from the past. He only pushed himself up from the rock when he remembered that there was still something he hadn't done.

* * *

When Weiss stopped singing, she was met with a loud applause. She looked down and saw a great number of students looking up at her wither from the garden or anywhere on Beacon grounds, and an even greater number peeking out of their dorm room windows. She smiled at her audience and bowed slightly. She saw the two members of Team LAVA looking up and waving at her. Lava turned to her partner and said something before unfolding her wings and flying up to Weiss. Aaron began to walk back to their dorm room, fully knowing that Valentine's Day was over for him, but he didn't mind it a single bit.

The rest of the students peeking out of their windows, went back inside and closed the windows, every one of them already ready to go to sleep, with the heiress' song still fresh in their minds. Even the rest of Team RWBY closed their window, with Yang giving the heiress one final thumbs up before the window had fully closed. The only ones left outside now were Weiss and Lava themselves, other than the few students that were returning to their dorms.

"So Weiss, with the way you turned down a legion of people today, I didn't think that you celebrated Valentine's Day at all," Lava admitted, once she landed on the roof, folding her wings in the process. She leaned on the railing along with Weiss, facing south of the city, simply staring at the near endless forest and mountain ranges. "What's with the song? I mean, I know you sing and all, but it just doesn't seem like you to sing something like that."

"It's a song that Ash sang to me last Valentine's Day," Weiss answered, smiling at the memory. Lava nudged the heiress' shoulder with one of her wings, urging her to share the story. Weiss could only laugh, before pushing the wing away and taking a deep breath. "He would usually play me a violin every night on Valentine's Day, but last year, before I transferred to Beacon, he thought that we won't be able to celebrate Valentine's Day like that anymore so he decided to make it special by singing me a song. We said that we would dance on the next Valentine's Day, but unfortunately it won't be happening."

"Well according to that song, he's going to come back to you," Lava deduced, thinking back to the song's lyrics. Weiss thought of the same with one of the lines in both their minds. "'Makes me want to come back home' huh? That's kinda like a promise. So do you feel the same as him?"

"I'm not really sure, but I just realized that I haven't done something yet," Weiss suddenly remembered. She breathed in slowly and showed her smile to the south. The day wasn't just to celebrate the lovers of the world after all.

"Happy birthday, Ash Valentine."

* * *

"Happy Valentine's Day, Weiss Schnee."

* * *

 **So I Screwed Myself Over By Naming My Character Valentine. I Felt Obligated To Do This Chapter.**

 **Song Used: Your Call By Secondhand Serenade**


	21. Sense of Belonging

Ruby woke up the next morning excited for the new day just like every day, and dreading the classes that came with the new day, just like every weekday. She looked around the room and found her sister and Blake still asleep, before looking over the edge to check on her partner, who was, as well, asleep. Ruby jumped down as quietly as she could and stretched, checking the time when she could. It was still a few minutes before the alarm rang at 7am to wake up the team.

She tiptoed around the room to lay out her Beacon uniform for the day on the over door coat rack on the bathroom door before disappearing in the bathroom, glad that she's able to ensure hot water for herself before Yang was able to hog it all. She took the liberty of taking better care of her other hygiene needs seeing as she technically had extra time. Satisfied with her work, she exited the bathroom with a large smile.

Yang and Blake were up and about, either stretching or laying out her clothes, but Weiss was still curled up in bed, even though the alarm was closest to her. Blake used her semblance to maneuver across the room with her uniform tucked under her left arm, beating her partner to the door. Ruby walked up to her partner and gently shook her, receiving only a small hum as a response.

"Weiss, its morning," Ruby reported in a whisper. Once again, Weiss only hummed in response. "You know Yang's gonna hog all the hot water again. Plus we still need to grab breakfast before classes start."

"I'm not attending classes today," Weiss explained in quiet and tired tone. Ruby was taken aback, surprised at the heiress' revelation. Usually if they ended up in this situation, it'd be Weiss who was waking Ruby up as she tried to come up with excuses to skip out. "I don't feel well today. Please Ruby, just for today, leave me be."

"Ok, do you want me to bring you some food and medicine later?" Ruby asked quietly, reaching out to touch her partner's forehead to check for a fever, miscalculating slightly as her fingertips brushed against Weiss' cheek. Her cheek was slightly sticky, and her skin was unusually cold instead of the heat of a fever. "Or not. You're not usually like this, so you probably have a good reason. I'm not gonna ask, so just… feel better."

"Thank you Ruby," Weiss responded, curling up further into her blanket.

Ruby stepped away from her partner, jumped up to her bed and pulled out her latest issue of X-ray and Vav comic, simply waiting for the rest of her teammates to get ready. Though she couldn't help the feeling of concern welling up in her, not even her two favorite fictional goofball heroes could fully cheer her up.

"Weiss not feeling too good?" Yang asked, twisting her body side to side to stretch her spine, earning a few satisfying pops.

"No, she has a fever," Ruby lied, mentally noting to apologize to Yang once Weiss was back to her usual… cold but somewhat happy self. Yang looked at her with censure, before looking to the cocooned heiress. "It's not too bad, she just needs to sleep it off."

"Well ok, we'll just have Ash take care of her," Yang joked, smirking deviously as she imagined less than professional acts that the two could commit under the cover of a servant taking care of his mistress. Weiss hid whatever part of her that remained out in the open, as her chest began to feel like it's contorting in uncomfortable ways. "Speaking of Ash, this is usually around the time he walks in with breakfast, and your cookies."

In time, Blake exited the bathroom, ready for the day, or as ready as she had always been, and went to her bookcase to pick out a book to consume for the day. Yang wasted no time entering the bathroom with her clothes in hand, fully knowing that she can take her time with the hot water since she has enough for two people, and that once Weiss does decide to get up, she would be guaranteed to have hot water again. While Yang was enjoying her shower, Ruby explained the situation to Blake, who seemed indifferent on the matter.

When Yang exited the bathroom, the room still consisted of only the members of Team RWBY. Yang frowned and looked at the time, a little over half an hour since their alarm rang, which meant that Ash was late to deliver on his promise. She wasn't one to hound someone over some minor promise like this, but she was one to let her curiosity take over if it meant she could tease him or her for it. Without saying a word, she exited the dorm room and walked down the hall to Ash's door and knocked three times. When he didn't answer the door, she returned to the Team RWBY assuming that the butler was still asleep. Considering everything that had happened the day before, she couldn't blame him for sleeping in.

Yang gave her sister and partner a quick explanation and they left the room with one final 'feel better' to their ill teammate, before heading towards the cafeteria in hopes of catching up to their sister team. When the three made it to the cafeteria, the found Team JNPR sat next to Team LAVA, and already they were immersed in conversation about the previous day.

"I'm just saying that attracting every one of the Beowolve's attentions like that is a little questionable," Valora said before taking a bite out of her eggs, chewing and swallowing quickly to continue her thought. "I don't like that kind of self sacrifice. Especially if the person can barely handle what they're attracting."

"It's kind of a last resort, I agree," Pyrrha commented, already finished with her breakfast, and was now amusing herself, by arguing with the smaller Huntress-in-training. "But if he hadn't done that, then that skirmish would've lasted much longer."

"And come on Val, if he didn't do that, that Alpha would've kept trying to eat my wing," Lava added, unfolding her once bitten wing till it reached her small teammate, so that she could analyze it as if there was a scar on it. Valora softly swatted the leathery wing away, unable to help feeling annoyance that came with having to explain herself to her teammate. "And as tough as I am, having my wing bitten by that thing still hurt. Think of my wing as your arm. Oh, it hurt. I was saved by the sacrificial lamb."

"Ok, ok, stop your stupid acting," Valora pushed Lava's wing away only for it to come back to her, as if trying to wrap around her like a King Taiju. Lava stopped trying to wrap her wing around the girl, but kept her wing where it was, much to the annoyance of the smaller girl. "Lava! This is technically harassment! Get your wing away from me!"

"Or what?" Lava dared her, a victorious smile on her lips. An equally devious smile grew on Valora and the girl grabbed Lava's wing and brought it up to her lips before biting down on it as if it was a delicacy. Lava let out a pained yell and Valora released the wing, the limb retracting back to its owner as if spring loaded. "Valora Hood! That's taking it too far!"

"Oh please forgive me Supreme Overlord Lava," Valora faked, adding unnecessary and overblown hand gestures along with it. She was the first to spot the three members of Team RWBY coming towards them with trays in hand. "Oh look, it's Team RWBY… minus the Schnee and butler."

"Well sorry to disappoint," Yang fired back jokingly. Greetings were passed around as the Ruby, Blake, and Yang sat down and began eating. "Yeah, Weiss is sick, and Ash is sleeping in. Figured we'd just let Ash take care of his mistress later."

"Ash is sleeping in?" Pyrrha asked in disbelief at the peculiar action of their friend. She'd gotten used to suddenly waking up at the sound of a door closing just outside her team's room, and a single person's footsteps disappearing into the distance, thus finding it strange this morning that she didn't. "I thought he said he'd be continuing his promise to the three of you."

"Yeah, but you've gotta remember yesterday," Yang countered before continuing to eat her breakfast, slightly missing the fruity taste of a sunrise that she expected this morning. "Plus, it's better than him waking up at the middle of the night. Who knows? Maybe he would've gone back into the forest."

"Yeah, cause he really needed us last night," Aaron said sarcastically, earning him the glare of Team RWBY and his partner. He ignored their stares and simply picked at the vegetables on his tray, reminiscing the events of the forest. "I mean, come on. If it weren't for us making all the noise we did, he wouldn't have had to fight that Alpha or any of those Betas."

"What's a Beta?" Ruby raised her hand and asked innocently.

"It's a wolf thing," Aaron vaguely replied. Aiden kicked him lightly and the wolf turned and glared at the taller teen along with his usual snarl, but he gave up with a sigh soon after. "If the Alpha is the leader of the pack, then the Betas are the rest of it."

"Aaron does make a good point though," Lava said regretfully, shifting her wings unconsciously when she was forced to acknowledge her partner's point. "Remember what he said? He was just hiding and taking on loners. Then we came along and dragged him out of hiding, with the attention of every Grimm in a mile radius in tow."

"Well what other option did we have?" Jaune asked. Though he understood what the two meant, he also recognized that the series of events in the chain of cause and effect drew back further. "We didn't really know what he was doing, his Aura was nearly depleted, and he's never done that good against Grimm."

"We could've trusted him," Lava suggested, receiving a deadpan look from the two other teams.

"That wasn't an option," Pyrrha told her, silencing the female in dragon in confusion, forcing her to wonder what her brother had done to his friends before their reunion.

The three teams dispersed as their classes drew closer. Team LAVA headed to their first class, needing to arrive early due to the sudden disappearance of two of its members the previous day, something that the two regretted to differing extents. Teams RWBY and JNPR, on the other hand, decided it to be a good time to awaken Ash from his much needed extended slumber, as well as check up on their ill-stricken friend.

They first went to the Team RWBY dorm room, just in case that Ash was already awake and was already taking care of his mistress. Ruby opened the door to find only Weiss in the room, still curled up in her bed with only her long snow-white hair and portion of her face out in the open, seemingly fast asleep. Not wanting to disturb their friend, they shut the door as quietly as they could and locking it to ensure she gets an uninterrupted rest before Ash wakes up.

The seven of them made their way three doors down and knocked on Ash's door. Minutes passed and no answer came from the other side of the door, despite several more knocks afterwards.

"Hey Ash! Time to wake up!" Yang yelled as she pounded the door in another attempt to better rouse her friend. When still nothing happened, Yang brought out her scroll and called the butler's scroll, finding that she was unable to connect to his scroll.

Yang narrowed her eyes at the scroll before putting it away, and got into an offensive stance in front of the door. Before anyone was able to say anything, she threw her fist against the door. The wooden door creaked in complaint, but remained standing.

"Miss Xiao Long!" Glynda's vexed voice echoed down the corridor. Yang immediately relaxed and the seven of them turned towards their professor's voice. Glynda was marching towards them with scroll in one hand and her riding crop in the other. "May I remind you that you've already destroyed that door once before. You were unpunished last time due to a favor I owe Mister Valentine, but I am not willing to do it a second time."

"Ash isn't in there, is he professor?" Jaune asked once the professor was within arm's reach. Immediately, Glynda's expression turned from stern to soft, melancholic. "Where is he Miss Goodwitch?"

"I'm afraid, as of late last night, Mister Valentine ceased being a student of Beacon," Glynda admitted. Her gaze fell to the ground, remembering how she was unable to predict how a simple argument could've turned into something more significant; not even Ozpin was able to anything, but Ozpin wasn't there to bear witness to it all. Her students looked at her with one theory in mind, one that she had no choice but to confirm. She put her riding crop back into her boot, and took out Ash's broken scroll from her pocket. "Yes, he left under Miss Schnee's orders, and unfortunately, without his scroll in his possession, we have no way of tracking him. We can only hope that he's still somewhere in the city."

"Just because he tried to train in the forest?" Yang said, both angry and confused. She was near marching back to their dorm room and dragging the heiress out of bed, awake or not, ill or not, but she was held back by Ruby, who was just as confused. "And you guys didn't do anything about it?"

"Not even Headmaster Ozpin was able to do anything," she admitted, tightening her grip on the broken scroll even tighter in frustration. She ran her thumb over the cracks of the screen, undoubtedly wounding herself if it hadn't been for her Aura. "If we had been able to do anything, I guarantee you that we would've at the very least, convinced him to keep his scroll. However, right now I'll keep it broken as a reminder of my failure as both professor and friend."

"Maybe he left something in his room that can tell us where he went?" Ruby suggested, though her voice obvious with uncertainty. Glynda let out a sigh and unlocked the door for her students. "Thanks Miss Goodwitch. We'll tell you if we come up with something."

"That'll settle my mind, without a doubt," Glynda confessed, turning to walk away from her students to prepare for her next class, but turned back to them to leave them a request. "Do not blame Miss Schnee for what she did. She was simply trying to make the best decision for the both of them and was pushed into a corner."

Glynda left her students to play detective in the room their friend used to reside in, hoping that they do find something.

Ash's room remained untouched by anything. The windows and curtains were closed, preventing even so much as a single ray of the sun's light into the room. The study desk was cleared of everything with the chair pushed in as to not hinder movement in the room. Even the bed was neatly fixed, with not even an imprint of a body imbedded on it. Though the hoodie that Ash was wearing the previous day was laid on top of the sheets, as if to simulate a person's body.

Team RWBY inspected the side of the room with the closet and drawers while Team JNPR inspected the side of the room that had the bathroom door, all of them searching for anything that may have gone missing or was added. Yang threw the closet door opened and looked through the clothing sets still in it. Blake and Ruby looked through the drawers and purposefully ignored the drawer that stored Ash's 'valuables.' Team JNPR, on the other hand, looked through bookshelves and the bathroom, with Nora shamelessly taking the bathroom.

"Nothing," Yang announced slightly vexed after a thorough search of the closet: every nook and cranny, from pocket to pocket. She shut the closet door and retired to his bed, taking a seat at the foot, not wanting to disturb the hoodie. "He didn't even take anything. He just left his hoodie. Some failure of a runaway."

"What if he didn't run away Yang?" Ruby asked, retiring to the bed along with Blake, their search fruitless as well. Ruby sat at the other side of the bed from Yang, while Blake remained standing. "He did promise Weiss that he would keep on protecting her, even if he wasn't her butler anymore."

"Our speculations hardly matter if we can't find and ask him," Ren countered, slight bitterness was evident in his voice. The entirety of Team JNPR joined the members of their friends, unable to fins anything as well. "And all we know right now is that he's left Beacon. With such an insignificant thing as our only clue, we may as well be trying to find a soul in Grimm."

As the feeling of defeat slowly started to engulf Ruby, she spread out her hands, steadying herself against her sister's back and her hands on the bed. One of her hands just happened to land on Ash's hoodie, feeling a small square bump in one of the pockets. She reached into the pocket and pulled out a small paper coaster.

Team JNPR looked at the coaster in confusion, but the members of Team RWBY understood its significance. Ruby pocketed the coaster and all seven soon left the room, before locking the door behind them. They made their way to Doctor Oobleck's class, trying to push the question of where their friend could be out of their minds.

* * *

Travelling over night outside of Vale's walls with nothing more than a simple sleeveless red shirt, a pair of jeans, and black shoes to protect him from the nipping cold of the night was deplorable. Though he couldn't find much to complain about as braving the cold of Atlas nights no matter what season as a mere child made this one feel like a summer afternoon. He had decided to leave without his hoodie or any other piece of clothing due to all of them having the Schnee family symbol on them; he no longer has the privilege to wear something with it.

On his back, he had both his and Lava's broken sword crossed against his back with the gauze he used to keep the hilts from falling out; the only two evidence he had with him of being a student of Beacon. The only reason why he had them now was only because of his sense of duty to both his sister and the Schnee family; as well as the only reason that he's out here now.

His mind wandered off to last night as his legs kept walking down the dirt road as if they were on autopilot. After he left Ozpin's office, he immediately headed to his dorm room one last time. There he took off his hoodie and put one of the paper coasters he received from Junior a little over a week back in one of the pockets, in hopes that someone would find it. Though he was ambivalent about it, he left his gloves, both normal and metal, fearing that it may link him to the Schnee family. However, in the end, he kept one thing that may force that link to reality.

He soon left Beacon ground with what he thought to be enough lien to cover and the repairs of both swords on his back, and only the clothes on his back, but not before using the final favor Glynda owed him. It took him an hour just to get to the city, and hours more to get to Junior's club. There he used the final two favors Junior owed him, and the club owner couldn't be any happier. The first favor was for information of the closest blacksmith around, unfortunately, it was due south, outside of the city a few hours away if taken by a Bullhead. The second favor was to send Lava's sword back to Beacon and to send the Atlas blade back to Winter Schnee once they were both repaired. After accepting the conditions, Ash left the club and started on his long walk to the small village Junior mentioned.

Ash didn't dare to exhaust his energy by running, in fear of his Aura depleting and attracting any Grimm around. He looked to the sky and found the sun nearing its peak in the sky. He couldn't help but think about what Teams RWBY and JNPR are doing at the time, laughing slightly to himself as he remembered that he was supposed to continue his promise to the three members of Team RWBY, something that he now couldn't fulfill no matter how much time passes. After all, Weiss ordered him to never show his face to her again.

With Weiss in his mind, he couldn't help but think about her spiteful expression when she last ordered him and relieved him from his position. There was nothing but hate in her scowl. His life for the past eleven years, at that moment, only hated him, and who knows what of now. What he found strange was that he didn't regret angering her, but he regretted that he probably wouldn't be able to fulfill his promise to her. So strange, that he could only laugh.

The rampaging thoughts were helpful, in the way that they helped distract him from his hunger. He had planned on eating after he returned from the forest but the events that followed his return prevented him from doing so. It would be nearly twenty-four hours since he last ate. Though his hunger staved, the drain of energy from it remained. He found himself slowing down in pace, while his heart rate seemed to increase. He breathed slowly in an attempt to counteract his increasing heart rate, but was only greeted by dizziness. Even with the vast amount of trees around him, none bore fruit, and straying from the path to search for fruit bearing trees was an idea he would not dare grace in danger of Grimm. Ash could only hope that the village was close, but as far as he could see it was only a gigantic grove of greenery.

As he continued his walk, a young girl, probably not even eight years of age came stumbling out of the thicket on the side of the road. She had long black hair, pale in complexion, and was dressed in worn out clothing either from years of wear and tear or from scratches from bramble. Behind her was a black tail, resembling that of a cat. She met eyes with Ash and she immediately ran to him and hid behind him. Confused, Ash looked to where she came from and a trio of male adult humans came through it with hungry smirks, looking around for their prey.

Each one of them dressed in farmer overalls over torn white and plaid shirts. One had short light brown hair, black eyes, and freckles over his tanned skin. Another had similar length hair, faded gold in color, black eyes, and slightly tanned skin. The last had shoulder length black hair, different colored eyes, one brown, one blue, and a crooked nose, darker complexion than his companions. He seemed to be the oldest, probably a few years older than Ash while the other two seemed to be around Ash's age. They saw the swinging tail of the girl behind Ash and made their way to him.

"Hey, do you mind giving us back our _friend_?" the older of the three asked as friendly as he could, his nostrils flaring as his mouth curved into a crooked smile. His friends chuckled as quietly as they could at his side, eyeing the young girl behind Ash. "See, she ran away from home last night, and we were told to bring her back. We're sorry is she caused you any trouble."

"No trouble at all," Ash said, smiling at the three. The girl behind him held on to his shirt tightly, terrified. The oldest of the trio stepped to Ash's side to retrieve his 'friend,' but Ash got in his way, still smiling. "If it's all the same to you, I would like to have your friend accompany me for a little while longer. When we met this morning, she said she'd guide me to the village ahead."

"We know you're lying," the brown haired one laughed, nearly toppling over from laughter at Ash's lie. "She ran away a few hours ago. There's no way you met her this morning."

"And your friend said she ran away last night," Ash countered, glaring at the three. The other two glared at their friend as well, cursing him for being unable to recognize the simple trap. Ash looked to the girl, and ignored the three humans. "Do you know these people miss?"

Before she could answer, the oldest of the three pulled out a knife and held it up against Ash's throat. The other two pulled out similar knives, ready to 'help' their friend at any time. However, with Ash's Aura, the knives held very little danger to him, but it probably proved different for the girl behind him.

"Look here buddy," the leader threatened pushing his knife's edge against Ash's throat. His friends moved around Ash to ensure that the girl doesn't get away. "That Faunus is our property. Just give her up and no one has to get hurt."

Ash let out a sigh and brought his palm up, striking the leader's chin, forcing his gaze to the sky. His grip on the knife's hilt loosened and Ash grabbed it, only to throw it somewhere behind the thicket. Ash grabbed the leader's overalls and pushed him towards one of his friends, turning his body as well as moving the girl behind him to where none of the three could grab her.

"Unfortunately for you, I'm a Faunus too," Ash admitted, surprising the strangers around him, and even surprising himself at how easily he was able to admit it. He raised his left forearm to about chest height, as if to block an attack with an invisible bracer. "I do not wish to hurt any of you. I suggest you walk away now, while you are able to walk at all."

"We won't forget this," the leader threatened before walking away along with his friends. Ash stayed on guard until they were far gone from sight.

"Thank you mister," the girl behind him said, stepping away from Ash to give him some space. Ash turned to the girl and knelt down in front of her.

"My name's Ash. Ash Valentine," he greeted her, holding out his hand. "What's your name, young miss?"

"I'm Angela Sterling," she said, shaking Ash's hand with her tiny one. The first thing that she noted was the scar that seemed to nearly engulf his hand. Ash pulled his hand back as soon as he could and hid it from sight by stuffing both hands in his pockets. "Did humans do that to you? You said you were a Faunus, like me."

"Let's save that for another time Miss Sterling," Ash defused, unable to kill the habit of referring to people by their last names. Angela didn't seem to mind though. In fact, she seemed rather pleased with the princess like referring. "For now, let's get you home."

"You're going to the village ahead right?" she asked, holding out her hand for Ash to take. When he refused to take his hands out of his pockets, Angela stepped forward, grabbed his left forearm with both hands, and started trying to drag the boy forward. "Come on, that's where I live. My daddy would want to meet you. Those three have been giving every Faunus they meet a hard time."

"Then, it seems that you really are my guide," Ash joked, allowing the young girl to take his hand out of his pocket and drag him down the road. He couldn't help but think of Weiss, at the similarity of how innocent she was when she was younger. A solemn feeling took over him at the thought, and found himself wishing for the heiress to even greet him again. "By the way, how much further do we have to travel? I'm in a hurry to repair these swords. They're needed by their owners."

"It's a little bit past the mountain there," Angela said, pointing to a jagged mountain in the distance. It wasn't too much further away, but at least a few more hours of walking. "Sorry but there's no shortcuts."

"Well that's a bit unfortunate," Ash played along, walking just a little faster to catch up to the small girl before slowing down to match her pace.

* * *

Weiss exited the Team RWBY dorm room in her Beacon uniform, though going to class was something that was far from her mind. First, she headed to the cafeteria, hoping to grab at least something light to eat before deciding what to do for the rest of the day. With classes already in session, the corridors were empty and quiet enough for each footstep to echo. It didn't take much time for her to get to the cafeteria and the first thing she saw other than empty tables was her young blonde professor sitting at one of the tables.

"Care to join me Miss Schnee?" she asked, looking up at the student seemingly out of place. Without much else to do, Weiss walked over to the professor and took a seat. "Before I say anything else, I want you to know that Mister Valentine did ask me to speak to you about this, but I would've done so either way. Now, first I have a message to relay to you from him: _I may accidently defy your orders, therefore I will apologize now."_

"Why didn't he just tell me himself?" she asked, her tone solemn and quiet as her gaze drifted to the tabletop unable to meet the professor's eyes. Ash was the last topic that she wanted to think about at the moment, but neither her mind nor Glynda would allow for that to happen.

"Perhaps it was to follow your orders," Glynda said critically, feeling frustrated at the situation presented; one of her top students trying desperately to either ignore the problem, or was simply oblivious to the conflict. "What was it you said? 'I order you to never show yourself in front of me ever again'? Tell me, now that you're even tempered, do you think you may have over reacted?"

"Why does it matter now?" Weiss asked in retaliation, turning away from the professor with her eyes still cast to the ground. There was both regret and spite evident in her voice.

"None as of now, I assume," Glynda said calmly, pulling out Ash's broken scroll and placing it on the table before getting up. Weiss still refused to meet her gaze and kept her eyes everywhere else. Glynda sighed before beginning to walk out of the cafeteria. "But please, do think about it. I expect an answer by the time we find that reckless idiot."

Weiss was left alone in the room with the scroll on the table. Her appetite was very nearly gone, but she knew she had to eat to get through the day. She momentarily left the table and grabbed a light breakfast before returning. As she sat down, she caught sight of her reflection briefly on the scroll. She pushed her breakfast to side and took hold of the damaged scroll.

The scroll was fully open, with the screen cracked into countless shards. Weiss stared at the screen, as her reflection stared back at her. Her hair tied up into her trademark off center ponytail. Her pale skin softly grazed by some reflected sunlight. Her ice blue eyes showing some glint, and thankfully not showing anything else other than her usual stoic expression. And her usual apple shaped necklace, hanging just above her chest by its lonesome. The birthday present that Ash gave her was somewhere lost in the dorm room. She set the scroll face down on the table and began to eat at a slow, distracted pace.

"I wonder what you're up to now, Ash," she found herself asking out loud after swallowing a bit of her salad. She took out her own scroll and placed it on the table, face up, next to Ash's, a part of her silently hoping that the two scrolls would connect and Ash's voice would greet her just as it had always done before. But it won't, not anymore. "Please Ash, don't disregard my orders."

Weiss continued to eat at a slow pace, reminiscing moments she spent with her friend, laughing when a memory of a ridiculous time appeared and when she remembered that only a few weeks back did she tell him that she'd inform her sister and father of Ash's reassignment to her specifically. However, now she'd need to inform them of something else entirely. Once more, she picked up Ash's scroll and turned it over, running her thumb across the shattered screen. She quickly dropped it on the floor when the sharp sting of a small cut rose from her thumb, only to be mitigated by her Aura.

She picked the scroll up from the floor, brushing some dirt of it before inspecting it. Though already broken beyond repair, she felt guilty that the screen shattered into tinier pieces and the body bent inwards from the impact. The scroll managed to start up, though the cracked screen made it difficult to view the display. From what could be seen, Ash was writing some note prior to scroll breaking, but it was unfortunately too illegible for anyone to make out a single word. As she tried to operate the scroll, it began to slowly shut down once again, as if being siphoned of energy, receive it again for a few moments, before it is siphoned once again until it has completely run out of power.

Weiss put the scroll down next to hers, face up just incase it decided to activate again. However, as she finished up her breakfast, the scroll remained deactivated, never regaining any of its power. Pocketing both scrolls, Weiss exited the cafeteria and headed for the headmaster's office instead of heading straight to class. Yes, she felt slightly guilty that she's technically skipping class at the moment, but she'd also basically told her friends that she wasn't attending for the day. In a matter of minutes, Weiss was waiting in the elevator leading up to the office.

Ozpin was sat down at his desk, busying himself with some report in front of him. Whatever it was, he deemed it less important when the heiress made her presence known to him with her footsteps echoing in the quiet room. The professor tucked away the report in one drawer and waited for his student to explain her unexpected, though welcomed visit.

"I apologize for the sudden interruption Professor Ozpin," Weiss said, fishing Ash's scroll from her pocket and placing it down on the desk. Ozpin looked at it with a rather solemn expression, guilty at his inability to prevent his student from leaving to who knows where. "If it isn't too much to ask, I would like to have this repaired – as soon as possible if it could be helped. I know that my asking this condemns my actions last night as imprudent, but I—"

"You've no need to explain yourself to me Miss Schnee," Ozpin interrupted, holding up his hand in case that his words alone were not enough to stop her. Ozpin took the scroll from the desk and looked it over, inspecting the damage dealt. "It'll take a few days to restore this, and longer still to retain the data within, assuming that is what this is about. Would that be fine with you?"

"Yes professor," Weiss replied, though a little unsure. Ozpin placed the damaged scroll in a drawer and pulled out a thin folder, handing it over to the heiress. "What is this?"

"An old man's hope for remission," Ozpin replied, as Weiss opened the folder to find a single piece of paper inside along with a blurry photo from a traffic camera of a familiar figure, with two swords on his back, leaving the safety of the city's walls. "That was taken late last night. As for his destination, we've yet to find a clue. I was thinking you might be able to give us some insight, seeing as you've known him the longest."

"You want me to help find him, when I specifically ordered him to never appear before me ever again?" Weiss asked, befuddled by the professor's request. Ozpin let out an exhausted sigh, grabbed his cane, and stood up, making his way to the window overlooking the city.

"I want to, at the very least, try and convince him to train as a Hunter again," he explained, his voice monotone, his emotions hidden. "If not at Beacon, then at another academy. It should give him some purpose, some… sense of belonging. If you so wish, you never even have to see each other."

"Why? He made it perfectly clear that he had no desire of being a Hunter," she asked, closing the folder with the documents inside and placing it on the desk, avoiding it further as if it was the plague. Her tone was cold and monotone, almost as if she actually now held nothing but spite towards her friend. "And what if he left the city because he didn't want to be found?"

"I'll believe that just as soon as you do," Ozpin answered her, slightly scowling at the unfavorable chances of his request. He let out a sigh when he heard the heiress' footsteps slowly go further and further from him. And when he heard the elevator doors close, he tightened his grip on his cane. "I've failed to help yet another one of my students. Exactly what kind of instructor am I? Just where did you go, you stupid dragon?"

Weiss was leaning against the back wall of the elevator, contemplating about the professor's request as well as his proposition as she headed back down to attend class. She reached into her pocket and brought out the small blurry picture of Ash. Even if she wanted to help with the search for the, now, vagabond, she had very little knowledge to Ash's experiences outside of Atlas. In fact, the only thing she knew about Ash outside city walls was the few bits of memories she managed to get a glimpse of close to two weeks ago. Other than that, she could only remember times when he was by her side as her servant.

Much to the surprise of her teammates and friends, Weiss showed up to the first class, late, but present nevertheless. Professor Port found it slightly strange, but excused the heiress for the time being, asking her to stay a while after the class to explain her tardiness. Having no choice but to accept, Weiss took her seat next to her partner as the professor continued his lesson.

"I thought you were sick," Yang commented in a whisper, not wanting to attract the attention of their professor now that he had his eye on Weiss for the time being. She playfully smirked at the heiress, now finding her attitude early in the morning justifiable. They'd all promised to keep their knowledge of Ash's disappearance a secret from the heiress, wanting to wait for her to tell them herself. "If you just wanted to sleep in for a bit, then we might as well do it as a team. You know, it's hard to get to some good sleep around here."

"I simply wasn't feeling well," Weiss countered as per her usual cold attitude as she could manage, though her friends very quickly debunked the faked response even if she didn't want to acknowledge it. She looked away from their critical stares with her arms crossed on her chest. "I think I may have eaten a little too much last night, nor did last night's unusual cold front help very much."

"Speaking of last night, what did you and Miss Goodwitch nag Ash about?" Yang asked, testing the heiress for any reaction. At her words, Weiss' body stiffened up straight as if some electrical shock ran through her body, forcing her muscles to move as well as stunning them in place. "You got back pretty late and Ash is still asleep in his room, so I can guess that you guys had a lot to nag him about, and knowing Miss Goodwitch, she can go on for hours after hours."

"We just scolded him on his choices of training regimens," Weiss half lied, remembering the events and arguments of last night despite the indifference she felt. As she was turned away, she was unable to see the steadily growing disapproving and angry look of both Yang and Pyrrha. "His stunt last night nearly cost him his life and even endangered all of you in the process. Even if there were three teams worth of people, you are all still just Hunters and Huntresses-in-training."

"So what's his punishment going to be this time?" Pyrrha asked, barely able to contain her anger at the heiress in her tone. If only Weiss decided to look at the warrior, she would've been greeted to an expression filled with disapproval; Pyrrha's brows were scrunched together tight with her teeth almost bore.

"None as of now," Weiss continued her lie at the surprise of her friends. For them, the conversation now turned to a test of how long the heiress is willing to continue her façade and to what extent. "Though then again, I may just forgive him this time, for the sake of repaying him."

"Forgive? Repay?" Pyrrha echoed in a whispered disapproval. Jaune looked at his partner, ready to hold her back should she lose her demeanor and cause a scene they, as a group, desperately wanted to avoid. The blonde placed his hand on her shoulder, using a bit of force to keep Pyrrha seated when she unconsciously tried to get up. The gesture was enough for Pyrrha to reclaim her cool.

Yang, on the other hand, was desperately clinging to what small string of calm she has left to keep her semblance from burning the air around them. Ruby did what she could, but being the closest to Weiss, she wasn't able to do much for her sister. Blake was the one who did the most in keeping Yang in check by not only keeping the girl seated as best she could, but tying her left forearm to Yang's right as well. Although whatever precaution they came up with only helped in holding the girl back from moving, keeping Yang's semblance in check was up to Yang alone. Though despite her best efforts, the semblance began to eat away at her. Her eyes were already red in color, and should Weiss turn around, it would be an immediate give away.

Professor Port continued his lessons and stories, while paying close attention to the two teams, listening in on their prying of the heiress. It was only this morning that the entire faculty was informed of the resignation of the butler, and some of them were less than pleased with how it occurred. Though they couldn't do anything about it and just had to let it be, it didn't mean that they could just ignore their displeasure.

A feeling of guilt slightly washed over the old professor, fully aware that his sloth in aiding Ash in his battles against the Grimm in the class had something to do with the heiress' decision to relieve and drive away her servant. And that guilt only grew when he heard of Weiss' original goal of repaying Ash for all he's done. The task already seemed nearly impossible at first, but now completely impossible with the missing second party.

As the professor continued his class, the door opened rather forcefully, attracting the attention of both professor and students. Lava walked in with anger seething from her eyes. She quickly scanned the room and found Teams RWBY and JNPR.

"Miss Valentine, I believe you are in the wrong class," Professor Port said, noting the anger in her eyes, able to guess what she came here to do.

The female dragon ignored the professor and marched towards Weiss, only reaching a few steps before she unfolded her wings and flapped once, propelling her towards the heiress at a stunning speed. Unable to react in time, Weiss was left at the mercy of the dragon's velocity. She was immediately pushed out of her seat and slammed against a wall, her Aura protecting her from any physical damage, though unable to prevent the daze that accompanied the slam.

Lava kept a wing between her and the heiress, using it to keep her pinned against the wall and looking at her. The professor and the remaining members of Team RWBY along with the members of Team JNPR rushed towards the two, trying to pry the dragon off to no avail, whenever, one of their attempts was near success, Lava would just bat them away with her other wing.

"What did you do?" Lava asked the pinned girl, her eyes burning with anger. Weiss squirmed against the wing, wanting to avoid the situation, when she couldn't do much, she used her semblance. Glyphs appeared behind Lava and began to pelt her with sharp icicles. The attack, however, proved useless when she used her other wing to block the attacks. It drained her Aura, but nothing else more than that. "I'm not gonna ask again. What did you do? Where is Vargas? WHERE IS MY FUCKING BROTHER!?"


	22. Stay With Me

After several hours of walking, avoiding stray Grimm, no matter if they are alone or in a group, and Angela's constant tour guide-like commentary on the area, Ash and Angela finally reached the base of the mountain, only an hour or so away from their destination according to Angela. She explained to Ash that she spent all of her life outside city walls with her father, and with absolutely no interest in her father's line of work, she spent most of the normal day exploring the area. Even though she continuously denies it, that restless habit of hers was the sole reason she encountered the three humans earlier.

Ash remained quiet all throughout Angela's stories, enthralled by the young girl's ability to continue a conversation for hours on end. Though in the end, found himself unconsciously tuning her out as his thoughts moved on to his friends back at Beacon, especially Weiss and Lava. He'd left without even saying farewell to most of them, and disappeared the night after Lava had finally found her brother; he could only imagine what she could be doing now. Only hoping that he'd be able to keep his disappearance hidden from her until Junior delivers on his promise and delivers her sword back to her.

"Hey, are you listening?" Angela asked, tugging at his shirt, snapping the teen back to reality. He looked at her apologetically, showing her a guilty smile. She childishly glared at him, but repeated herself. "I asked you why you're here. Isn't the city supposed to be the best place to live? And even if you have to leave, don't you guys have those flying things?"

"I several reasons as to why I left the city, Miss Sterling," Ash answered, trying to sate the young girl's curiosity with as vague answers as he could manage. Limiting himself to answering without ever bringing up the Schnee family and Beacon. "Though my main reason is that I have to repair these swords, no matter what. I heard that the nearest blacksmith was in a village to the south, a few hours away by Bullheads – what you called those 'flying things.' Unfortunately, I do not have access to one, therefore, I walk."

"Are you a Hunter?" Angela asked, with eyes twinkling in excitement. It was this almost sudden excitement that Ash saw the leader of Team RWBY in the young girl. Ash shook his head in denial, deflating Angela's excitement to a rather disappointed expression. "But you beat that human, you scared him even though there were three of them."

"I can fight, but I am not a Hunter," he replied, unaware of his eyes dimming in light. Ash removed Lava's sword and scabbard from his back and unwrapped the sheath to show Angela. The hilt with an inch and a half of the broken blade still attached to it was easy to pull out. "The owner of this sword is special to me. It was she that taught me how to fight. At the very least, I have to give her back this sword, fully repaired, to settle my debt with her."

"But you could be," Angela pursued, already fantasizing about the Hunters and Huntresses that she had only heard about before. Ash put the broken blade once more, and tied the hilt again to the scabbard with the gauze, trying to form a response that could satisfy the girl enough to stop her pursuit of the subject. "The girl who taught is a Huntress right? You could ask her to help you."

"I simply do not want to become a Hunter Miss Sterling," Ash told her, a solemn expression evident to Angela even if Ash tried to hide it. He held out his right hand towards the girl, palm towards her to show her his palms again. "My training is strictly for protecting and self defense. I'd rather not stray from that."

"But Hunters and Huntresses are so cool!" Angela said excitedly, receiving a discreet smile from Ash, appreciating that the world has yet another uncorrupted soul as he placed his extended hand in the pocket of his pants. "They're so strong and brave that they could even beat up those nasty Grimm with their eyes closed! A lot of Grimm got into our town a few months ago, but a Hunter showed and got rid of them so fast. But before we could say thank you, he was already gone."

"That's the difference between me and Hunters, Miss Sterling," Ash commented, thinking of everyone in Beacon, even Team CRDL. His mind wandered even to the night before, when he witnessed the three teams that went after him dispose of Grimm far easier than he would have. "Unlike Hunters and Huntresses, I can't fight Grimm and guarantee that I'd survive."

"Ash," the young girl called out almost silently, as she saw the pain expressed by her friend's eyes. She gently took out his right hand from his pocket, with Ash letting her do so, and held it as if to comfort him. "You're still cool to me."

Ash smiled at the young girl, appreciative of her attempt to comfort him. Though they were only able to enjoy the peace for a few seconds more. A pack consisting of half a dozen Beowolves jumped out from the thicket, snarling and drooling at the pair of Faunus in front of them. Ash immediately pulled Angela behind him, ready to protect her as best he could while he tried to formulate a plan to escape their predicament. Angela was slightly shaking in both shock and fear of the situation, praying that she at least could see her father again.

Ash never liked his chances against Grimm. Last he'd fought a group, he was severely injured going against three and all the while he had Jaune's help. Now here he was, facing down double the amount with no one with fighting experience to help him. Moreover, he needed to protect Angela, who's very nearly frozen in place. He thought of his choices, with the worst one being to leave the girl behind so that he could escape, and the best one being him disposing of the six Beowolves through sheer dumb luck and both of them escape with their lives. Or there was the option to lead the Beowolves away by using the abnormality of his body, but it only worked without his Aura. Even if he tried to sacrifice as much as he could with his semblance, there was no guarantee that the Grimm would be still long enough for him to do so.

With his options exhausted, he cursed his misfortune and readied himself for a struggle.

* * *

Professor Port, Yang, and Nora managed to pry the dragon girl away from Weiss and held her back as she continuously spat curses and profanity at the heiress while desperately trying to get out of their grips in her fit of rage. The rest of them got between Lava and Weiss, ready to add more hands to bind Lava should the need arise. They even had to restrain Weiss for a brief minute, still antagonized by suddenly being attacked.

There are those who were confused by Lava's questions earlier; only the members of Team RWBY knew that she spoke of Ash. Team JNPR pieced the puzzle together soon after she demanded the location of her brother, Professor Port as well figured out whom she was talking about. The other students in the room were the only ones confused as they were under the impression that the dragon in front of them was the last dragon in existence, and the only other 'Valentine' they knew of was human.

"Miss Valentine, please calm yourself," the old professor demanded as he and his two students struggled to keep her restrained. He and Yang restrained Lava's arms while Nora struggled to restrain Lava's wings to ensure that she wasn't able to use them to bat them away or fling them around if she decided to fly around the room to shake them off. "I understand your anger, but this is hardly the time or place."

"I finally found him and you take him away from me!?" Lava screamed, blinded by her rage, no longer caring for her brother's secret. No one could form a response for her question, they weren't supposed to know Ash's secret after all. "I thought he was your friend! I should've taken him back from you!"

Lava stopped struggling for a moment and focused her energy and anger to her wings. The three restraining her loosened their grip thinking that she had finally exhausted her anger and the adrenaline that came with it. Lava tried to flap her wings and shake off Nora and the three tightened their grip again. The struggle began again though only for a short amount of time as Lava had now finally exhausted herself. The three sat her down on a chair as she panted, desperately trying to regain her breath.

Professor Port, Yang and Nora gave her room to breathe but were still on guard in the event that she decided to attack once again. Even the group around Weiss began to disperse at the sight of the relatively calm dragon. Weiss tried to take a step forward towards Lava but Ruby stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder. Instead, Professor Port turned his attention to the rest of the class as they stood in anticipating silence.

"The rest of the class will be self study," he announced to them, motioning for them all to sit down. They did as they were told and took their seats while the professor turned his attention to the more pressing problem. "If the nine of you would kindly come with me, I'm sure we can settle this problem properly and in a manner that does not involve anything unnecessary."

"It's already too late for that," Lava commented as calmly as her exhaustion would allow her. Her tone still had remnants of her previous malevolence towards the heiress as well as the nine people that stopped her from exacting her revenge, but it was now mostly a deep sense of melancholy. "She already did something 'unnecessary' and I can't forgive her for it."

The ten of them made their way out of the room and headed towards the headmaster's office, with the professor sending word to both the Ozpin and Glynda of the problem at hand. Lava and Weiss were kept as far from each other as possible with Weiss at the back of the group and Lava in front, for the sole reason that they could keep her in sight in the event she regains her energy and decides to attack. Through out the journey to the headmaster's office, Lava's hands were clenched in to tight fists. While Weiss simply maintained a calm demeanor and allowed herself to be led, though in truth she dreaded the confrontation that was sure to be waiting for her in the headmaster's office.

The group's caution was rightfully placed as Lava's mindset still focused all her anger and frustration of the past decade from her quest to find her brother towards the heiress and it became increasingly difficult for her to simply keep it bottled up. She simply couldn't understand why such a development occurred. In less than twenty-four hours, she had found her brother, found the person that had been taking care of him in her place, and lost him again because of the same person that she was sure cared about him equally as her. Sure, she didn't know the cause, but she didn't care. To her, the heiress had no justified reason to do what she did. When she heard about the situation from Glynda, she could only control herself long enough for the professor to disappear before Lava's anger drove her to find Weiss.

Weiss remained on guard should Lava decides to attack her again, though she was sure that her friends and professor would react to the attempt and restrain the dragon again. In truth, Weiss knew full well that Lava's actions for doing so were justified, but she could only assume that the girl was only given partial of the story before she forced in to action by her rage.

The group of ten took several rides of the elevator up to the headmaster's office where both Ozpin and Glynda were waiting. Team JNPR, Professor Port, and Lava were the first ones to take the elevator, giving Team RWBY a few minutes to themselves.

"Ash is gone," Weiss confessed to her teammates, after a minute since the elevator went up. Ruby, Blake, and Yang remained silent simply letting their friend tell them everything she'd have to tell them in a few minutes anyway. "Last night, I ordered him to leave Beacon. I ordered him to never show himself to me again."

"We know," Blake said simply with very little emotion like Ruby and Yang. Weiss looked at her confused, looking to both Ruby and Yang as well. "We just wanted you to tell us yourself."

"We know that Ash is Faunus too," Ruby offered, smiling at her partner. "He's hiding his wings right? Or what's left of them anyway."

"How'd you guys find out?" Weiss asked looking at her three teammates, all of them smiling at her as if they all had just shared a joke. A possibility dawned on Weiss when her teammates looked towards the elevator again. "Was it Lava or Miss Goodwitch that told you all?"

"Lava told us about Ash last night when you took a shower," Yang explained, her smile disappearing from her face as she was reminded of the heiress' attempt at deception less than ten minutes prior. "Miss Goodwitch told us about what you did. I'm gonna be honest here Weiss. I don't, and probably will never, understand why you did what you did, but I want to believe that you have your reasons."

"It was because—" Weiss tried to explain but was immediately cut off by her blonde teammate, turning to her with a slight glare and an expression of significant disapproval.

"You're confusing something here Weiss," Yang walked up to the heiress and stared her down, with neither her sister nor her partner doing anything to stop her. Weiss refused to back down, and simply stood her ground against the brawler, though slightly passive. "I don't care about your reasons. As long as you have your reasons for abandoning him, not knowing is fine with me. Besides, _I'm_ not the one that you have to give those reasons to."

After a minute, the elevator doors opened once more and the four students piled in, simply waiting for the doors to open again to the headmaster's office. The ride up was quiet, but it wasn't awkward. They've made their peace down below, but the anxiety of the inevitable argument between heiress and dragon was shared between the four of them. On their way up, Weiss showed them the blurry photo of Ash as well as telling them of the headmaster's request.

The elevator doors opened once more and Team RWBY exited, being met with the sight of Team JNPR lined up on the right side of the room with Ozpin sitting on his chair, flanked by his fellow professors and a still slightly enraged Lava by Glynda. Ruby, Blake, and Yang joined their sister team to the side while Weiss walked up to the professors and dragon. Lava was restless, fighting her thoughts telling her to get whatever information on her brother she could from the people around her before she flies from Beacon to find him. However, she knew the professors there would've prevented him from leaving, especially Glynda with her semblance able to keep her pinned to whatever she wished.

"It was only a matter of time for this to happen," Ozpin said out loud, though aimed at no one in particular. In front of him was the folder that he had shown Weiss just a little while ago, with the photo from it missing, leaving the piece of paper detailing the photo to its lonesome. "After all, we've both master and sister here."

Weiss looked over to their sister team in panic, due to the headmaster's sudden revelation of Ash's secret. She was confused to find the members of Team JNPR indifferent to it.

"They already know Miss Schnee," Professor Port informed her with a smile hidden behind his moustache. Weiss received a confident nod from the blonde leader, confirming the professor's disclosure. "Everyone in this room is aware of Mister Valentine's true identity. There's no need to be so reserved."

"Now with that said, it's time we discuss what brought you all here today," Ozpin announced earnestly with his hands together just under his chin. The headmaster motioned for Weiss to stand beside his male colleague, and Weiss did so with slight hesitation. "The base of the problem is Ash Valentine's sudden disappearance from Beacon. Glynda, if you would be so kind to recapitulate the events of last night."

"Gladly professor," she replied solemnly. Shooting a brief look of reassurance to the heiress before she began.

Glynda spent the next few minutes telling the students, as well as her rather stocky colleague, of the events last night that led to the problem at hand. Ash's decision to train in the Emerald Forest in the dead of night, as well as his reasons and theory for doing so. The measures that Teams RWBY, JNPR, and LAVA were forced to make in panic of Ash's decision. The arguments that ensued between master and servant; careful to leave out the parts about Ash's infatuation with Weiss, as well as Weiss' weeping when he left.

The students and professor listened to Glynda intently, especially Lava, eager to learn why Ash was no longer there with them. As Glynda told them about the arguments that took place, more and more of Lava's initial anger returned, finding Weiss' arguments mere words of cowardice. As Glynda neared the end, most of Lava's anger returned, and were ready to provide Lava with the burst of energy that it had provided before. This didn't go without Glynda noticing, and the professor, grabbed hold of her hand like a parent would to their enraged and stubborn child.

"That's your reason?" Lava asked with anger barely contained. Her wings began to slowly unfold as she shook with rage. Glynda ensured to keep her grip tight on the dragon, and even assisted herself with her semblance when Lava showed signs of completely losing it. "You were worried!? _I've_ been worried about him for the last thirteen years! You were worried for a few hours and that's enough to drive him away!? Tell him to never come back!? Just how selfish can you be!?"

Weiss didn't answer her questions, but instead looked to the south as if Ash would just appear somewhere if she did so. She knew that Lava was right to be angry, just as much as Weiss was in the right to defend Ash from Coco's accusations after his fight with Team CRDL. However, there was another variable that contributed to the problem: her confusion as to what she truly felt for the person that was once her servant, though there was no way she could freely admit that. Not until she knew the truth herself.

"Why can't you answer?" Lava continued to ask, now calm again. Weiss made the mistake to look at the dragon once again. Lava's eyes no longer demanded an answer, but begged for one instead, even for something as simple as 'I don't know.' "Please, just tell me why did he have to leave."

"I didn't want him to die for me," Weiss finally answered, giving the dragon what she wanted. Lava's wings seem to dip slightly at the answer, now her turn to look away from the heiress. She seemed to have understood Weiss' position on the problem, but didn't show any other signs. "That seemed to be all he wanted. Everything he's done so far tied in to his fantasies of sacrificing his life to save me. He acts as if his sole purpose in life was to shield me from all kinds of misfortune, even at the cost of his own life. What would you have done in my position?"

Now it was Lava who was unable to answer. In all honesty she didn't know what she would've done in the same situation; what she could've done differently. She's had very little experience in one of her teammates taking a hit for her, much less one of them sacrificing their life for her. If she could prevent that from happening, she'd do anything to make it so; especially if the person sacrificing their life for her was her brother. Her anger quickly dissipated and she stopped fighting against Glynda, though the professor still held her hand.

"Now that both sides have been stated, let's move on to our plan to get Ash Valentine back," Ozpin announced, stretching a hand towards Weiss with his palm up. Weiss brought out the blurry picture of Ash from her pocket and handed it back to the headmaster. He passed the picture around to his colleagues who examined it before passing to their students, while Ozpin filled them in on their only clue. "As of late last night, near midnight, this was taken from a camera south of the city. Unfortunately, this is the only thing we have for now. We can assume that he went south, but we can also assume that he simply saw this as an exit and could be anywhere on the continent."

Ruby tried to take a step forward and speak up, but Yang held her back and stopped her from sharing the clue they found in Ash's room. Ruby looked to her sister as if to ask why, but Yang wouldn't look back at her, instead looked straight with a blank expression; a look that Ruby was used to. Yang had a plan, something that could lead to the best possible solution. Needless to say, Ruby trusted her sister and backed down, slightly clutching the small paper coaster in her pocket.

"Now, as much as we want all of you to help, you're all still students," the headmaster continued, eyeing his students to see if they had any objections like he'd expect them too. Much to his surprise, not one of them stepped forward to voice any concern. He narrowed his eyes at the members of Team RWBY, the ones he'd expect some sort of rebellion from, but they remained silent and passive. "Team missions are going to be assigned soon, therefore you won't have time to search for him until after your return. In the meantime, we'll do what we can to look for him. We can only hope that he hasn't gotten himself in any trouble."

"Vargas is lucky," Lava said in a matter of fact tone of voice, though kept some solemn tone. She unknowingly began to squeeze Glynda's hand in both frustration and worry. "If anything, that's the only thing going for him. He wouldn't have survive Grimm infested areas as a kid if he wasn't."

"We'll keep all of you posted should we find anything," Ozpin reassured them, though without any obvious expression. He panned to his right where Glynda and Lava were, looking at the Huntress in training with critical before panning to his left where Peter and Weiss were, scanning the heiress with his eyes as well. He let out a sigh and continued. "Now, there's still the matter of two opposing sides. You might understand each other's positions now, but that doesn't mean we can immediately trust the two of you to get along. We must decide on how the two of you would reconcile, preferably without resulting to unnecessary violence."

"As long as I get my brother back I couldn't care less if we never even talk again," Lava admitted, more somber than angry. Her wings fluttered a little as if their weight had started to become a problem for her.

"He'll be back," Weiss reassured her. She reclaimed the picture of Ash from the folder and handed it over to Lava for her to examine. Glynda stood on guard in case something occurs, but nothing did. Lava took the photo and looked at it, now a little confused. Weiss extended a slender finger at the swords on Ash's back. "He promised to give that back to you. I can't recall a time Ash had broken a promise, not even for something simple. There must be some other reason he left the city other than just the sake of leaving."

Ruby, Blake and Yang looked at each other as if mentally conversing with what to do with their clue. Team JNPR was lost, to say the least. Their friends seem to know more than they let on, but are hiding it for some strange reason. The paper coaster they found in Ash's room meant something, that they knew, but they lacked the foreknowledge to make heads or tails of it.

With the hostility between Weiss and Lava seemingly gone, there wasn't much more to be done by the faculty and the students were excused while the three professors were left alone to discuss the situation. Once more, the students left in groups, with Team JNPR going first. It was questionable to leave the two people who were ready to tear each other's throats not long ago in a cramped elevator, where the tiniest bit of violence from either of the two could end fatally, but decided to trust their friends.

"Weiss, Lava," Ruby called out once they had entered the elevator and let the door close. The heiress and dragon turned to her, while Ruby pulled out the small paper coaster from her pocket and showed it to the two of them. "We found this in his hoodie when we were in his room earlier. I think he's telling us that Junior knows where he's going."

"You assume so much just from a disposable coaster," Weiss accused though the assumption made some sort of sense. She received a slight glare from both her blonde teammate and the dragon girl.

"Who cares? As long as this Junior guy can tell us where Vargas is then who cares?" Lava asked immediately in response before snatching the paper coaster from Ruby's hand. She stared at the paper, confused when she saw a letter through old water markings. She turned it around and read out loud. "'White Fang.' What in Oum's good name were you guys doing with the White Fang?"

"It's complicated," Yang explained with a sigh. Retrieving the coaster back from Lava, Yang gave a vague explanation of the only plan they had. "Anyway, we can't go to Junior's club with the team missions just around the corner, so this is gonna have to wait a while."

Satisfied with the plan proposed, Lava left the two teams once the elevator door opened again, letting them out on the ground floor. Having left with no other choice, Teams RWBY and JNPR returned to Professor Port's class to join the near anarchic situation of the class. Though not all of them stayed. Weiss, acting fed up with the cacophony of the discord the students were causing, left the room alone.

She wandered around the quiet halls of Beacon during the class and soon found herself walking up to the pavilion on Beacon grounds. She sat on one of the tables, crossed her arms on the tabletop and laid her head down on them, closing her eyes in the process.

Guilt plagued her mind as every once in a while she would hear Ash's voice calling her, in which she would bolt up as if someone had just dug the tip of a blade into her side. She would look around for the source of the voice, only to find that she is by her lonesome and it was impossible for the owner of the voice she was looking for to be any near enough for her to hear him. She would place her head back down on her arms again and close her eyes once more, repeating the event over and over again. She begged it to stop and at some point, she decided to fight her instinct to look up and simply ignore her repetitive hallucinations. She heard his voice call out to her a dozen times more, varying in tone: happy, worried, sorrowful, calm, and most frustratingly, adoration. Finally, on the thirteenth time, she looked up with anger, annoyance, and burning tears in her eyes. However, unlike all the other times, Ash was actually there.

He wore his usual suit, always as if he was going to try and apply for some prestigious position in the Schnee Dust Company like she'd seen many do before. His hair parted slightly to the side, though still somehow looked a tiny bit messy, something she'd come to see as normal after trying to fix it numerous times as a child. His black eyes bore into her, looking to her caringly, viewing her as the most important person in the world. His lips, looking soft, as it had been when her father first introduced him to her, upturned into a small smile, giving away his satisfaction of being by her side like always. His hands were still hidden away from the world – from her view – by the black gloves he had always worn to hide the scars that seemed to engulf his palms. And though she can't see it, she can safely assume his chest, upper back, and wings were wrapped in gauze like it had always been when he was in public.

"Are you all right Miss Schnee?" he asked in a state of worry, though lingered on the same spot in the pavilion a few feet away from her. She was unable to form a response, battling her disarrayed thoughts: half screaming for her to accept it while the other half argued that it was impossible. "Did you need me to get you anything? Coffee perhaps?"

"No Ash!" she yelled before she was even able to think about it. She nearly got up from her seat, but her confusion was enough to keep her seated down. He remained where he was, but still wore a concerned expression. "Just stay with me for now. Just that is fine with me."

"If that's what you wish," Ash bowed slightly to her and Weiss replaced her head back down on her forearms, with the slight feeling of safety from being in Beacon as well as having someone she could trust by her side. Once more she closed her eyes. "I see. Rest well, Miss Schnee."

With Ash's words, Weiss seemingly fell asleep in the pavilion without a care in the world. Though that slumber would soon be interrupted by the crackling and heat of a fire nearby. She opened her eyes once more in shock. She took in her nightmarish surroundings, trying to process how the setting had suddenly changed from one of peace to one of fire and destruction.

The sky was dark with the sun already no longer visible at the horizon, but was present enough to provide very miniscule light. Beacon was lying in a blazing inferno. The academy's buildings that once stood proud and tall were nothing more than ruins now, lit ablaze by a fire that seemed to burn eternally. Only the pavilion she stood in seemed to be remained untouched. The marble ceiling and columns were only lightly covered with dirt, but nonetheless remained intact and untouched. She finally stood up and looked around cautiously, slightly shaking in fear and disbelief. Her instinct told her to retrieve her weapon first, but calling her locker to her would also give away her position to whoever caused the disaster around her. She knew she had to retrieve Myrtenaster herself, and hopefully find someone along the way. That was the plan anyway.

The area around her was disgustingly littered with the disintegrating corpses of various Grimm of differing shapes and sizes, along with newly slain bodies of what looked to be countless members of the White Fang, leading her to fear that Beacon had fallen to the White Fang's vendetta. On the entrance of the pavilion was the body of a male who looked to have made his final stand there, foolishly hoping that the pavilion would make for a decent chokepoint to control the number of opponents he'd have to face.

The young man was lying face down in his own blood. His clothing was torn to pieces, with the right sleeve ripped off from its place, and now lay somewhere on Beacon grounds. The jacket was missing its bottom half, leaving the white button up shirt underneath exposed to the outside. The top half of the jacket was ripped to the point where it was very nearly unrecognizable, and was just a little more than a scrap of cloth covering the body. The white shirt underneath was hardly white anymore. It was very nearly completely dyed red from the young man's blood, and only a small area was colored brown from dirt and mud. His trousers hardly faired any better, torn to all hell, barely able to hang decently from him. It seemed to be Grimm claws that mainly caused the damages, with groups of four parallel lines acting as tears instead of the White Fang's weapons that only caused one. His hair was caked in mud, dried blood that may or may not be his, and fresh blood that continuously leaked from gashes on his scalp. His hands were open to air and was also covered in mud and dried blood, but remained clear enough for Weiss to see a bit of the scars that covered his palms.

Unable to do much else, Weiss knelt down by his body and turned him around, laying him down on her lap. Ash's eyes remained open, his usual dark eyes full of life and emotion, now were dull and seemed to look past Weiss, the sky, and life itself. His lips were dry and chapped, with drying blood, forming lines from the corners of his mouth to his neck and chin. His once fair complexion now dirtied and bloodied by his latest and last struggle.

Now it made sense to Weiss why the pavilion remained untouched. The person that was now lying dead on her lap had protected the comparatively less significant building, because she was in there, peacefully sleeping, and this was his reward. The questions that she had before, questions about his being there, turned into questions that she never imagined she'd ever ask, mainly being whether or not he suffered. With the amount of injuries he'd taken, with the amount of blood that still continued to pour from them, she knew that he did. It wouldn't have been impossible for him to lose consciousness due to blood loss before he had breathed his last, but she could imagine him fighting even with such heavy injuries prior to the point he lost consciousness.

Strangely enough, she didn't shed tears; instead she held Ash's head against her chest and let out a sky-piercing wail in her grief. She wanted to find the person that prevented him from escaping to ensure his survival, and when she saw her reflection dyed in crimson from the pool of Ash's blood, she knew she had found the person. She was frustrated. She was angry. She was in despair. She was at fault. She begged for the person in her arms to hold her and smile childishly and tell her that it was all some thoughtless prank, but he wouldn't. In her guilt and rage towards the fate of her friend, her mind wandered to fairy tales. She leaned down and kissed his lifeless body foolishly hoping that it would wake him up like some sort of cursed princess.

The kiss was horrible. His skin was cold and when her lips made contact with his chapped lips, it hurt. The dirt and blood plastered on his lips tasted horrible and she immediately wanted to retract from the taste and the horrible stench it made, but she stayed thinking that maybe if she put up with it, a miracle would happen. Though even when she pulled back after simply tasting his lips for the same amount of time as she'd seen from the fairy tales, Ash remained still and lifeless. She tried to breathe life into him again, but no such miracle would happen.

"Don't do this," she caught herself saying. She was on the verge of tears now, ready to let them flow as her mind began to race to find some other form miracle inducing action to bring her friend back to life, no matter how ridiculous or flat out impossible it may be. "I don't want this. Ash, please don't leave me alone. This is what I didn't want to happen. You should've just run. Why did you stay?"

Ash remained still and quiet, not even a single muscle twitched. Before Weiss would ask the lifeless body any more questions, something else made its presence known to her. A rustling of burnt leaves and loose gravel on tired soil emanated ahead of her, forcing her to look up. A lone Beowolf stood there in front of her simply just watching her as if she was the most curious sight. In its clawed right hand, was a used roll of gauze, bloody and dirty. She didn't need to check Ash's body to know that the gauze came from him.

She looked to the ground next to her and found her prized weapon, Myrtenaster, merely just laying there, waiting for her to pick it up. She granted its wish and gently placed Ash's body on the ground next to her before picking it up with her left hand and standing up, ready to face the Grimm and avenge her friend no matter how insignificant it was now. A strange and overwhelming anger rushed over her petite form like a tidal wave crashing against the shore. She created a white glyph behind her and used it to propel herself toward her enemy, thrusting her trusted blade into its chest, without a doubt, puncturing its black heart.

Before it even began to disintegrate, she pushed the creature off her weapon, and its blood made it easy to slide off the thin blade. Weiss blinked once and the Beowolf was no longer a Beowolf but Ash himself, and they were no longer in the burning ruins of Beacon academy but at Amity Stadium during the Vytal Festival in front of thousands of people and hundreds of thousands, if not millions, more watching elsewhere. The people in the stadium, humans and Faunus alike, were cheering, even her team, her professors, her family, was cheering without hesitation.

Ash was once more lying on the ground, bloodied and dead. The only wound visible on him was the thin hole in his chest that overflowed with blood and soaked his body, clothing, and the arena below him. Weiss dropped Myrtenaster, now dyed crimson from the blood of its latest kill, and took a step forward towards the body. She knelt down by it and raised his upper body and placed him on her lap again as if she was lulling him to sleep. She didn't care that she was now another victim to be painted blood red, and just allowed Ash to 'sleep' in her embrace. She began to laugh hysterically at the realization that even though he had not died for her like the last time, both times she was still to be blamed for his death. She was still the one who killed him.

She blinked her tears of hysteria away until her laughter died down and the setting changed once more. She was now sitting on her legs in the middle of what looked to be Vale, though like Beacon before, destroyed and burning. She recognized a few buildings, the Dust shop called From Dust Till Dawn ran by an old man she'd seen practically everywhere, the clothing boutique that she, her team, and Ash went to for their dresses for the prom, even Junior's Club, to name a few – all of them, now nothing but barely recognizable ruins. She remained on the ground, slowly processing her surroundings with questions of exactly what had transpired for Vale to look like this. Unlike before, there weren't any corpses on the ground for her to make a valid guess, forcing her to think of more accidental events like a sudden combustion of a large stockpile of Dust.

"Miss Schnee?" she heard Ash's voice once again. She turned in the direction and found him there, looking at her worried, completely ignoring the fact that they were standing in an inferno. He walked up to her and extended his hand for her to take. For a while, she was only able to stare at it as if the gesture was a foreign concept. "What are you doing in such a place? You're not hurt are you?"

She shook her head and reached out for his hand, but before she was able to grasp it, the shadow of an Ursa appeared behind Ash. Before Weiss was even able to open her mouth to warn him, the Ursa swung its thick paw at the dragon's head. The force of the impact along with the Grimm's claws cleaved through Ash's neck and removed his head from the rest of his body. The head flew and disappeared behind some rubble and Ash's body fell to the side, without a head. She looked back up at the Ursa only to find that it was no longer there. She allowed her extended hand to fall down to her lap before she began to laugh hysterically again. As she laughed, she turned to look at Ash again and hopefully hold him for some sort of comfort, but he was gone too, leaving her to laugh by her lonesome in the middle of burning ruins.

Weiss blinked again and once more, her surroundings melted away along with her hysterical laughter. She was back in Beacon, this time intact and safe like it should be. She was in front of the pavilion she started in, just sitting on the paved ground under the sun. Weiss was tired. After watching someone she cares about die over and over again while she was completely helpless, and even was the one to take his life in one, she couldn't care about the world she was in anymore. She looked around in an attempt to find Ash, but he wasn't there, not even his voice rang out.

She pushed herself to her feet and sluggishly made her way to the table she sat at before Ash appeared in front of her for the first time. She crossed her arms on top of the table and laid her head down on her forearms, leaving the world behind being her only desire at the moment. As she closed her eyes, footsteps appeared and casually got closer to her. She no longer cared what she heard or even what she could've seen. The footsteps could've belonged to a creature of Grimm, making its way to her to kill her, she didn't care. It could've belonged to another Ash, but with how most of the Ash's she'd seen ended up, she could guess that this one would perish as well; it was something she'd rather not see again. She kept her eyes closed and tried desperately to fall asleep before it got to her, but she remained aware.

After a moment, she felt her consciousness drift away slowly, but was still able to feel the back of gentle fingers covered by a glove dance swiftly across her left cheek along with the sound of light laughter from a familiar voice. The two elements gave away who the person they belonged to was and dared her to open her eyes, but her will was strong, she would keep them closed.

"So long Miss Schnee," she heard him say. Simple words were enough to destroy the will she was so proud of, but her eyes wouldn't open anymore and her muscles wouldn't move no matter how much she tried. "I hope the rest of your days are happy ones."

When she opened her eyes once again and sat up, she was still at the pavilion at Beacon. Beacon was still intact and the area was still in a state of peace. It was all almost just as how she remembered it after she and her team had a meeting with the two professors of Beacon, the headmaster, Lava, and Team JNPR. The only thing that changed was the dragon leader of Team LAVA sitting on the chair in front of her. Lava looked at the heiress with slight interest and a considerable teasing expression.

"So you were dreaming about my brother," Lava said teasingly though there was a tone of melancholy lingering in her voice. She was significantly calmer than she was last the two met, all of that anger seemingly replaced by sorrow that expresses her forlorn perfectly. "But by the way you were moaning his name, I guess it was more of a nightmare than a dream huh?"

Lava reached into her pocket, pulled out a small white handkerchief and held it out for the heiress. Weiss reached up and lightly touched her cheek, sticky with what she assumed were the remnants of tears. She took the handkerchief and lightly dabbed at her cheeks, wiping away any sign that she had ever cried in the first place. Once she was satisfied and could no longer feel any trace of the sticky trails left by tears, she handed the small cloth back to Lava.

"Why did you let him go?" Lava asked, as she took back the handkerchief and stuffed it back in her pocket. Weiss couldn't form an answer to the question, barely even able to comprehend what her dream or nightmare was about. Lava let out a sigh, fully knowing that if the girl in front of her refused to answer a question it's likely she won't ever grace it with one. "You were dreaming about him. You can't deny it. You kept saying his name, the one you know him by. You kept calling out for him to not leave you alone. I'm not a psychiatrist Weiss, but anyone can guess that he means at least something to you. You still see him as someone important."

"What do you want from me Lava?" Weiss asked, her voice toxic with resentment and similar melancholy as Lava. She couldn't place exactly who the target of such emotions were, maybe at Lava for being as insightful as she is, maybe at herself for being such an open book, maybe even her dream which drove her dream self to the edge of insanity. "You already heard what had occurred last night from Miss Goodwitch, there is nothing else I can give you that will sate your damned curiosity. If you want an explanation for my actions, then you'll have to look elsewhere."

Weiss rose up from the chair abruptly and turned to exit the pavilion, the peace and tranquility that pavilions once brought her now momentarily destroyed and only left a horrible feeling deep in her stomach. Before the heiress could even take a single step away from the table, Lava grabbed her right wrist and held it tight, careful as to not use excessive force to hurt the girl.

"Unhand me this instant!" Weiss demanded as she tried to pry the older girl's fingers off her wrist, but the strength that dragons' possessed proved to be too much for her. When Ash had done something similar to her in the past, she somehow managed to successfully pry herself from his grip – something that she now knew was a simple act. "I've already told you. My actions last night have no need for explanation. There's nothing for us to talk about until we leave to follow up on Ruby's clue. Now unhand me!"

"It's my fault you know," Lava muttered loud enough for Weiss to hear. Weiss stopped her struggling and grew calmer, along with her curiosity from the sudden and puzzling confession. "I was the one who told him that he was born to be a shield. But I meant it like a knight in shining armor, not a sacrificial lamb. You don't have to tell me what happened last night. To be honest, I don't even care anymore. I'm sorry about earlier I acted without thinking. I was just angry. After so many years without being able to see my brother, and suddenly finding him again, only for him to disappear the next day… I didn't know what to do other than blame you for it."

Weiss let out a sigh and sat back down on the chair. Lava's hand loosened its grip until gravity was enough to release the heiress from her grip. Weiss looked onto the girl in front of her, only able to feel sorry for her. To have happiness given to you only to have it taken away before you're able to properly enjoy it, that was a feeling that Weiss had never considered possible throughout her life solely because Ash had refused to have such happiness be forcefully taken away from her.

Weiss had never been the best at comforting people, some would even say that she's _probably_ not the worst but she always tries her best. The few times she was forced to do so was only to her sister, Winter, and to Ash at very rare times, and in the end they'd be smiling, though they may have been laughing at how hard she tried only to fail miserably at it, stumbling on her own words and childishly referring to herself as 'a friend of a friend' or something or other in stories she necessarily didn't want to tell. And now here she was, rearing to try again.

"My sixth birthday started it all," she began her story. Lava, who was on the verge of crying from incessantly blaming herself before, looked up with small beads of tears in the corners of her eyes. Her expression was on the border of sorrow and confusion, and it was rather amusing to Weiss. "Ash and I first met on my sixth birthday, he still had his wings then. I think he already knew that the Schnee family was notoriously biased towards humans in the tension between the two races, but he still greeted me a happy birthday. I can only assume that everyone was wondering why a Faunus was so excited to see the Schnee family."

Weiss looked everywhere but at Lava, just as Ash did when it was he telling her a story after she first found out about his secret. If she were, she would've been granted with the sight of Lava looking to her with a satisfied smile, eager to listen to the heiress's story, but mainly smiling at the longing expression Weiss unknowingly made that spelt pure happiness. Just like Weiss had done before Lava stayed silent and simply listened to Weiss tell her story. Weiss had intended to just entertain and comfort Lava with a story, but she ended up being comforted by the memory at the same time, not that she'd ever complain.

"I was with my family, a large group of nobles, along with half a dozen trained bodyguards then. And though he only greeted me, I was a bit of jerk to him," Weiss confessed, slightly laughing at the memory of the dirty six year old boy. Lava hummed questioningly, earning her the attention of the heiress. She wore a smirk, doubting Weiss' word choice, to which Weiss actually gave in. "Ok, so I was actually a bit more malicious towards him. I practically ordered the guards to get rid of him, and they tossed him to the ground like some bag of trash. Happy now?"

Lava still remained silent, but nodded at the heiress, finding the revised narrative much more acceptable and believable. Weiss rolled her eyes in annoyance, slightly cursing herself for giving in so easily. She let out a groan, contemplating whether or not to continue her story, only to give in once more wanting to continue for her sake at the very least.

"The Faunus around us started to attack us, probably seeing Ash thrown to the ground as some form of signal to begin their revolt," Weiss continued, her tone getting progressively lonelier as the fact that here she was now, telling a story about someone who she practically threw away without much regret, became much more apparent. Noticing the change, Lava placed her hand over Weiss' on the tabletop as some form of silent comfort. Weiss appreciated the gesture, but the warmth was foreign and made her feel considerably more aware instead of the comfort that she'd usually feel if it were Winter or Ash. "The guards did their best to protect all of us, but they could only do so much against so many. I was pushed from safety and was thrown into the street where an incoming truck was speeding my way. The next few seconds is a blur for me. I saw arms as well as the shadow of a wing wrap around me and push me out of the way of the vehicle. I soon fainted."

"A Faunus saved you even though your family hated Faunus. And if what you guys told me is correct, he sacrificed his wings and became your butler a year later," Lava summarized with a smile, nearly laughing at the misadventure of her brother. She remembered back to their talk in Ash's room when she finally realized that he and Vargas were one and the same, mainly the way he looked at and treated Weiss, especially his promise to change fate. "That really does sound like him alright. Even when we lived together he was restlessly doing weird things, almost as if he was always trying to prove someone wrong or at least trying to change something."

"And now that restlessness has drastically turned into recklessness," Weiss thought out loud, with Lava agreeing. The two girls laughed together, starting out the day as enemies but now seemingly like the best of friends. Though now with Ash in her thoughts, the melancholy and fear that her dream brought had returned. "When I was sleeping earlier, I didn't see a dream, it was a nightmare. At first I thought it was a dream, I felt safe, but it all changed literally in a blink of an eye. I saw Ash die three times: twice by Grimm, and once by me. I felt myself going insane."

"Weiss, I'm not gonna ask you to share your dream with me, but I do want you to answer one question honestly," Lava replied, her hand on Weiss' twitched a little, turning into her gripping the heiress' hand instead of just covering it. Their eyes met, Weiss with her confusion waiting for the question and Lava with an earnest expression. "Weiss Schnee, do you or do you not love Ash Valentine?"


	23. Vargas Is A Fucking Idiot

The Beowolves were the first to act getting on all fours and ran towards the two Faunus looking for a quick kill for Ash and an easy kill for Angela, turning both of them to a very short lived meal with the six of them. One pounced at Ash as soon as it knew it was able to, prepared to bring its claws to the dragon's neck, while the others remained on the ground to overwhelm their target should the pounce fail. Normally, Ash would've dodged the attack and countered, but normally, he didn't have to protect someone who had no Aura and who was frozen in fear. Instead, he remained between the Beowolf and Angela and put his hand by the girl's side and turned, dragging her along with him, rendering the Beowolf to fly by them, remaining unharmed.

The remaining five pushed up from the ground and began to run on their hind legs, leaving their arms to attack with. Knowing that dodging is practically impossible without sacrificing the girl in his care, and countering even more so, Ash turned around and embraced Angela, covering as much of her with his body as he can. The five of Beowolves, and soon along with the sixth, attacked one after the other, barely passing by the two Faunus swinging their claws, steadily draining Ash's Aura while Angela remained safe. With no way to fight back, once the Beowolves took a brief second to not only recover their what little stamina they lost, but also ponder why this one Faunus isn't fighting back whereas others did, Ash activated his semblance with what little Aura he has left and ran towards the village with Angela in his arms. The Beowolves were taken out of their stupor and gave chase.

Even with the little boost of speed that Ash's semblance gave him, the Beowolves still managed to keep up. Frustrated that he's unable to lose the Grimm, Ash focused his semblance on his legs and forced his Aura to drain for an even larger boost. He went faster though only by a small amount, earning him a little more distance between them and the Beowolves that slowly increased in time, but he only had so much Aura left, and should he completely deplete his Aura, escaping would only endanger the people of the village by attracting every single creature of Grimm around with his semblance's anomaly.

"Miss Sterling," Ash called to the girl in his arms as he continued to run, hoping that enough time has passed for her to recover from her fear induced torpor to respond. At the very least, she had recovered enough to look up at him, though the fear in her eyes and the disbelief that they managed to get away was evident in her eyes. "How far are we from the village? Surely we can't be that far off."

"N-no, it should be just over there," she responded though shakily. She pointed to a direction through the groves of trees and other vegetation. Ash turned to the direction, charging past bushes and small trees, and kept running, not bothering to check if the Beowolves are still chasing them or if they'd attracted any more. "Wait! We're just gonna lead the Grimm back to the village! We can't go there!"

"I'm only going to drop you off there," Ash explained, only guessing how much Aura he still had left. With the beating he took earlier, shielding Angela from the Beowolves, he could only assume that he'd run out of Aura very soon. "After I've seen to your safety, I'll lead the Grimm away. Even if I can't handle Grimm too well, I should still be able to elude them. And should I be forced into combat, I can fight without worrying that you'll get caught in the process."

A small congregation of wooden houses soon came to sight. The plaza of the small village was mostly empty, with only a few people up and about, the rest can be assumed to be in their houses or off somewhere in the woods for Oum knows what. No one's yet to spot Ash and Angela running towards them in a panic, nor do the two even know if they were still being chased. Once they breached the perimeter of the village, Angela pointed to one building, almost no different from the rest and asked Ash to let her down there. He did as he was asked and almost immediately, panic ensued.

It began with one villager yelling 'Grimm' at the top of his lungs in panic, and as if it was a plague, the panic spread to every villager. They all began running into their houses, guiding playing children and elderly along with them, locking the doors, blocking the windows and hoping that the storm passes by without any of the Grimm even knowing that they were there, or at the very least that those who do get caught get to pass without much pain. They all knew that the Grimm were attracted to all forms of negative emotions and mothers and fathers tried their best to calm their terrified children, though could barely contain their fear instead.

In the plaza, Ash stood ready as if to face the Grimm in a last stand after making sure that Angela had made it inside the house she motioned to with, what he could only assume, her father already inside. The first of the Grimm to appear were the Beowolves that were chasing them earlier, and soon even a pair of Ursai were attracted to the negativity that the village was currently being slowly engulfed in. Ash activated his semblance again, trying to drain his Aura so that he could act as bait for Grimm once more; however, he had more Aura than he had initially thought. The pack of Beowolves remembered him and immediately went for him, but two of them soon broke off and began to try and destroy walls and doors to get to the villagers shaking in fear inside.

Ash moved to intercept the two Beowolves who broke off from the pack, to stop them from terrorizing the villagers as well as to re-gain their attention once again. He caught the two as they banged their claws against the doors of different houses. He ran to the nearest one, with the majority of the pack still on his tail, and slammed his right fist to the side of its head, knocking it down a good ten yards away thanks to his semblance increasing his strength and speed. The attack angered the Grimm and ignored the house he was trying to get into and began to chase Ash again. Smiling that his plan worked, Ash continued to run and did the same to the remaining Beowolf. He succeeded in bringing the Beowolves' attentions back to him, and all that was left were the Ursai. He ran the perimeter of the plaza with half a dozen Beowolves in tow and made his way back to the Ursai.

He remembered back to his last night at Beacon, against the metal training dummies of Grimm, when Weiss told him to disregard his training of singling and targeting supposed weak spots on Grimm and to just attack them with all he had. He removed his gaze from the mandibles of the Ursai and instead focused on their exposed torsos. As he passed by one, he threw a straight just under its arm and knocked it away from the door and onto the ground a few yards away. It groaned in pain and tried its best to recover and get back up on its feet as fast as it could. Fortunately, Ash didn't need to go for the remaining Ursa. It turned away from the door and directed its attention to Ash as if under some sort of spell. Ash smiled at the strange action, now knowing that he's ran out of Aura. Once he had the remaining Grimm chasing him, he ran out of the village fearing that he'd only get lost and more than likely not only be unable to lose the Grimm but attract more to chase him.

Ash deactivated his semblance, finding the prospect of suddenly passing out from exhaustion, or even just to be unable to activate his semblance to escape in a dire situation, something he'd much rather avoid. The creatures of Grimm were still after him, the evident stomps of heavy, powerful, paws very slowly gaining on him from behind were evidence of that. He would've laughed at the situation if he had time to waste breath on such an action. Even though he had told Angela that he'd lose the Grimm, he had no idea how. The best, and only, way he was able to come up with was to use his semblance to outrun them, or should push come to shove use it to gain some distance, hide, then take them out one by one. He could only think of his regrets, and to his surprise, there wasn't much.

Should he fall to the Grimm there, the only regret he had was that he wasn't able to return the two swords on his back to their rightful owners. Again, he would've laughed if only he had the breath to spare. His regret gave him another plan, for in a worst case scenario, he could just use the blades on his back, broken or not, to quickly dispose of a lone Grimm should so long as he strike as hard as he could even without his Aura. Though for now, he could only run, to get the Grimm he brought to the village away from it as well as to try and separate and single them out. He could only hope now that the villagers have calmed their fears as to not attract any more Grimm.

There was no telling how far or how long Ash had ran. He could've been running for an hour or two, he could've been only a mile away from the village and he'd just been running in circles or he could've been a part way back to Vale. All Ash knew was that he's tired. A night without sleep and only constant walking, baring against the cold with the minimal clothing he's got on, along with skipping out on dinner and breakfast, it was more surprising to him that he still has any energy left, much less reserve energy. Now, the main thing keeping him going was his memory of much worse nights when he was a child trying to best the unforgiving cold of Atlas nights.

When his legs burned from the constant moving, his mind cloudy from the drowsiness, and his lungs ripe to burst at any given moment, he had finally stopped running. He looked around for any sign of the Grimm, and sure enough, the relentless creatures were still behind him, and closing. He breathed in deep, in a desperate attempt to calm his rapid heartbeat and stabilize his breathing. There was nothing but thick trees around him and more of the endless grove in the background, there was no point in running anymore, not even hiding was an option, he had to fight. He drew the Atlas sword from his back, sheath and all, and prepared to fight. The question whether or not struggling against fate would ever be worth it running rampant in his thoughts.

The Beowolves, being the faster Grimm, would reach Ash first. Three of the six broke off from the pack and dispersed and hid themselves behind trees, while their prey focused on the remaining three. Of the group that hadn't broken off, they separated from each other, as to not clash against each other during their attack, forcing Ash to switch his gaze between the three, leaving one in his direct line of sight, one in his peripheral, and one just barely outside his view.

Ash he switched his gaze to the Beowolf on the left it slowed to a crawl, and the one outside his view began to sprint. Ash sluggishly panned to the right and barely caught sight of the attacking Grimm. He quickly swung his sheathed blade to the right and bashed it to the side, dazed, but otherwise mostly unharmed. In retaliation for injuring their pack mate, the other two attacked, with the one that hadn't slowed down, catching Ash off guard, driving its claws against his back as it ran past him, drawing blood. The one that did slow down was less fortunate. With the successful attack, bringing his attention back to the fight, Ash turned as fast as he could to meet the second incoming attack, quickly ripping the gauze tying the hilt to the sheath, raising the hilt with the half inch blade high up, before bringing it down on the Beowolf's exposed head as it came closer. Immediately its skull and brain was flooded with its blood and soon died, hardly feeling the pain of being stabbed.

The three hiding behind the endless trees appeared, already in the middle of a pounce, flying towards the Faunus. Busy removing the broken blade stuck in the skull of the freshly slain Beowolf, Ash was unable to see the three others. Their claws ripped his clothing and just barely nicked his skin, though successful in drawing blood from him. The three disappeared behind the trees again, waiting for their time to catch their prey off guard once more. The Ursai joined the skirmish and ran straight to the Faunus. Though his wounds aren't deep, they're still enough to further limit Ash's options of escape. There was very little Ash could do as the Ursai brought down their heavy paws onto him. He put the hilt back into the sheath, holding them together as tightly as he could, and put them in the way of the oncoming blow. With much of his strength and energy already, Ash successfully blocked the attack, but was forced to his knees and trapped there by his heavy opponent.

The Beowolf that Ash once dazed, recovered and found the situation Ash was in. If it could smile, it did. It slowly walked over to the Faunus who trapped himself under the Ursa paw. It reeled its arms back and continuously swung them at Ash, ripping his shirt and jeans, tearing flesh and splattering blood on the forest floor. Ash's consciousness steadily began to fade as the pain and the blood loss became too much for his body to handle. Even if he had some energy to spare for his semblance, with the Beowolf constantly trying to drain him of all his blood, but even adrenaline could only barely keep him awake. Once more, he found the situation somewhat humorous and would've laughed if he could've. Why he ever thought he'd be able to handle three times the amount of Grimm he'd ever had to handle at a time, he doubted he'd ever know. The Beowolf stopped its attacks and simply stood back, letting the Faunus just bleed out from the countless wounds already inflicted, even the Ursa retracted its paw. Ash collapsed to the forest floor, with the only thing that kept his adrenaline going now gone.

The three Beowolves that were hiding before appeared once more, slowly making their way to their latest victim. Ursai and Beowolves turned to each other, ready to fight for the right for the small meal in front of them. Ash, with vision already blurred, eyes already closing, and consciousness already fading, wanted to laugh. He was now nothing more than just a meal waiting to be eaten, and the only thing he was able to think of was how funny it was that it was at this time of the day that he had decided to tell the rest of Team RWBY and Team JNPR that he was a dragon. Before his eyes fully closed, he let out a small, amused chuckle, thankful that he was able to laugh at last.

* * *

Ruby was confused, glad, but utterly and hopelessly confused. Thankfully, she wasn't the only one. Blake and Yang were just as, if not even more, confused than she was. The three of them were back in their dorm room after an unusually long day of classes, unable to say anything as they watched their snow white haired teammate happily conversing and trading stories with the female dragon that had very nearly torn her head off only a few hours ago. The two of them looked like they had been friends longer than people and Grimm have been battling each other even though they, as previously stated, have been trying tear each other's throats a few hours prior, and the fact that one of is a Faunus and the other is a Schnee.

Ruby, Blake and Yang were sitting on Blake's bed, just watching the unlikely friendship as if it was a movie, a very… very… very strange movie. Weiss and Lava were sitting on Weiss' bed just talking almost nonstop while Lava simply inspected the light blue locket that Weiss received as a birthday present from Ash. Weiss, on the other hand, was busy listening to Lava while she inspected the appendages that made her a Faunus, able to touch them unlike with Ash's sensitive stumps.

"You have no idea how expensive clothes are for me," Lava complained, her wings slightly twitching under Weiss' cold fingertips. She placed her hand at her back, just below her wings and felt around for the concealed zipper that kept her clothes from opening from behind. "If I want to wear something, then I have to go to the tailor and ask them to make holes big enough for my wings and add these little zippers so I can actually put them on. I spent so much lien on just clothing when I first got to Haven. I was lucky enough to have some clothes already with me from when I ran away from home, so it wasn't so bad. When I started to grow drastically did I actually get into trouble, but by then I had a foster family to help me. Now, I'm on my own, and have to go pretty much every other month to get new clothes."

"You dragons must spend a lot during puberty huh? Oh, can you stand up and stretch out your wings for me? I want to see how far it goes," Weiss requested, which Lava granted without saying so much as a word. She stood up from the bed and stretched out her wings as far as they'd go followed by Weiss standing up as well to have a closer look at the stretched appendages.

"Oh yeah, it's like buying new bras every time your boobs get bigger, something that I think your busty friend over there knows I'm sure," Lava replied, motioning over to Yang barely even turning to her. Yang, suddenly brought into the conversation, looked down at her chest, somewhat more aware and embarrassed by the nonchalant way Lava said it. "Then again, if you had your wings cut like Vargas, then it would be the same as a human. The only thing added is the bandages that he keeps wrapping around his chest. But you guys were there for him right?"

"As much as we wanted to, our father wouldn't allow us to help him in any matter, even something simple as clothing," Weiss said disappointedly, remembering back to her childhood. Lava turned slightly so that she was able to look at the heiress, who inspected her wings less enthusiastically. "'He's already getting paid, so he needs to take care of it himself,' is what we were told. At the time, we couldn't really disobey our father so we had no choice but to let it fly by. By the time we've gained enough freedom to help out, he no longer needed it. He'd made friends at the tailors and was given a discount so long as he helped out the following weekend."

"So even though he's younger than me, he started to act like an adult way before me," Lava said nearly laughing, being given the ok to sit back down from Weiss, once she was done inspecting every inch of Lava's wings. Lava accepted, and sat back down on Weiss bed, still inspecting the locket, only now opening it to reveal the photos inside. "And who was it that said girl mature much faster than boys?"

"To be fair, no child in the right mind would ever want to get a job and immediately start acting like an adult," the heiress countered, in a matter of fact tone of voice.

"But you just said that Ash started to act like a grown up," Ruby said confused, earning her partner's attention just for the brief moment of explaining to her.

"Yes, and I also said 'no child in the right mind,'" Weiss explained, silencing and satisfying her partner. Lava handed the locket back to Weiss, though throwing one final glare at the smug and regal look of Weiss' father, despising the man simply because her intuition. "Also, be it young or old, who in the right mind would buy someone something like this for a simple birthday?"

"Someone who loves you," Yang said quickly in between two coughs, hinting at some sort of discretion, though a failed attempt at one. The brawler expected a glare from Weiss, Lava, or both, still slightly thinking that Ash would be sore subject for the two, but she and her comment only went ignored by the two. That's when she lost it. Yang stood up from her partner's bed and stomped once, bringing attention to her. "Ok! Enough! What with you two? You guys were ready to rip each other limb from limb earlier, and now the only way you guys could get closer is if you kissed. What happened?"

"We came to an agreement," Lava explained, as if it was as simple as could be, merely looking at the girl as if she was a volcano ready to blow. Lava stood up, unfolded her wings wide, stretched out her arms as if to welcome the three members of Team RWBY on the opposite bed into a hug, breathed in and continued with satisfaction and glee. "My brother, Vargas, is a fucking idiot!"

With a short and haughty laugh, Lava refolded her wings and put her arms back down to her side before plopping back down on the bed next to Weiss. Ruby, Blake and Yang – especially Yang – could only look at the sister of their friend, still smiling with a satisfied expression, as if the girl has gone deeper into the depths of insanity. Weiss could only shake her head at her new friend and put the locket back around her neck, allowing it to fall next to her apple shaped necklace, happy with the familiar weight.

Yang slightly recovered from her shock and walked straight up to Lava, putting her right hand on the older girl's forehead while her left hand rested on her own forehead. The difference in temperature was very minimal if any at all, ridding Yang of the only theory she had to the strange switch in emotion for the dragon girl. She had another thought, directing her attention to Weiss and moving her right hand from Lava's forehead to Weiss'. Unlike with Lava, the difference in temperature was immediately evident, only Weiss' forehead was cold, instead of the heat of the fever she expected. Weiss brushed the hand off her forehead and lightly glared at the brawler.

"Is it so strange that we've made up and come up with an agreement?" Weiss asked her teammates, nearly frozen from utter confusion. She received a slow nod from the three of them, surprised that there wasn't smoke coming out of their ears with how hard they were trying to figure out what happened between Weiss and Lava, not that either of the two would ever tell them. "If you must know, we simply talked and shared stories of how Ash is simply too much for just a single person to handle. After a few stories, we came up with the conclusion that he was the one that forced us to enter such a hostile moment in time. He nearly destroyed this budding new friendship of ours."

"I don't… How did you guys even come up with that?" Yang asked, as she ran her hands through her hair, hardly able to understand the heiress' explanation. A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts, and being the only one standing up, she was immediately elected to be the one to answer it. She opened the door and was greeted by the sight of Glynda Goodwitch standing there with her arms crossed on her chest. "Heya, professor. Did you need something?"

"Miss Xiao Long, I know you all know more than you tried to play back there in Professor Ozpin's office," Glynda accused, tapping a finger on her right bicep, waiting for an explanation as patiently as she could. Yang let out a sigh and moved to the side to allow the professor through, shutting the door behind her. Glynda took in the strange sight of Weiss and Lava acting friendly on Weiss' bed, while the two remaining members of Team RWBY looked confused. "Miss Schnee, Miss Valentine, I'm glad to see that you two have made up, though I will admit, I was fully prepared to hear word of you two fighting each other."

"Apparently they came up with the verdict of – I quote – 'Vargas is a fucking idiot,' and made up," Yang explained, allowing the professor to join her, her partner, and her sister in the numbers of confused victims. "Anyway, that's not what you came here for. Ruby, tell her about the coaster."

"Umm… Yang? I don't know what you're talking about," Ruby tried to lie, but her innocence prevented her from doing so, making the attempt sound like some four year old trying to read a text from a different language. She made the mistake of looking at her professor's eyes, impatiently demanding for the truth. Without much of a choice, Ruby brought out the paper coaster from her pocket and handed it over to Glynda. "We found that in Ash's room earlier. It's from an info broker that he knows, so we think that Ash is telling us to ask him."

"Dare I ask where this info broker is?" Glynda asked sarcastically, with her right hand occupied by the coaster she was given, she pinched the bridge of her nose with her left hand, slightly moving her glasses slightly at the same time. By sheer luck, Glynda let her nose go and managed to catch sight of the words written at the back of the coaster. "What in all of Remnant were the four of you doing with the White Fang? Does this have something to do with the limo the five of you brought in a week ago?"

"Anyway… Miss Goodwitch, is it all right if you leave finding Ash to us?" Lava requested, standing up from the bed to make her way to the professor. She placed her hand on the older woman's shoulder and looked at her with conviction. "We'll wait until after the team missions, but Vargas left that clue for us."

"Well, considering that the staff of Beacon have no knowledge of the existence of this coaster, there's not much we can do," Glynda announced, handing the coaster to the dragon, smiling at her – though she wouldn't ever say it out loud – most amusing group of students. When Lava reached out for the coaster, Glynda quickly took her hand in her own and forced the girl to look at her eyes. "Just promise me that you'll bring that boy back. He is the closest thing to a son I have, and I would hate to lose someone like that."

"So does that mean you're my mom now too?" Lava asked jokingly, before nodding at the professor, making the promise with her. "We'll get him back, even if we have to drag his ass back here wrapped like a Christmas present."

While the teacher and senior leader were conversing, Yang took the opportunity to go back to where her sister and partner were at, but jumped up on her bunk instead of taking her seat back on Blake's. Glynda soon left the five students to themselves, feeling satisfied in knowing that she'd get her 'son' back soon, or at the very least see him again. For a minute or two after the professor's departure, the dorm room was quiet with only the sounds of the outside slightly reverberating in the room. The silence was only broken by Yang who could no longer stand the silence and her growing curiosity.

"So, after we find Ash, then what?" she asked, as she lied down on her back. It only dawned on her, but Weiss did order the boy to never show himself in front of her ever again and as far as she knew, he'd always followed her orders no matter what they were. "If there's even a chance of us convincing him to come back with us, how would we know if he's even going to stay? Thanks to a certain someone, there's more of a reason for him to leave than to stay. There's not a lot of ways this entire thing could end."

"Whether or not he leaves is completely up to Ash himself," Weiss answered, looking to her new friend with a worrisome expression. Lava showed no emotion, be whatever she was feeling positive or negative. She was just breathing slowly as if she had fallen into an unconscious state. "Though, when I visited Professor Ozpin before I entered Professor Port's class, he said that he wished for Ash to train as a Hunter again, if not at Beacon then at another academy. I think it would be possible for him to choose to attend Mistral with his sister."

No one else said anything and simply let the new piece of information and possibility sink in without so much as an expression from anyone. Even Lava, who they all thought would be over the moon at it, remained emotionless still except for a few moments flickering between elation and confusion. None of Team RWBY could decipher what their new friend could be feeling, but the way she was chewing her left thumb made it easy to know that she was at least confused as to what her brother would pick. After all, how could she know? To choose between two families is a difficult choice no matter the consequence, and he has more than enough reason to deny the two his company. One of them had recently technically disowned him, and the other one had technically only watched as he plummeted to his death as a kid. No doubt he'd forgiven both of them, but his choice remains a mystery to them even then.

In reality, Lava was over the moon at the thought of her brother attending Mistral with her, but by doing so would mean that she would be taking him away from the person that's been taking care of him like family in her absence, no matter what that person has done, no matter what she has said. She couldn't forgive Weiss for driving her brother away, it reminded her of the way her father drove him away over ten years ago. But she couldn't find herself to blame Weiss either, not anymore anyway because, it was her brainwashing of the fairy tale trope that the knight must always protect the princess even it costs him his life, that's at fault in the end. Sure they were merely children when they read all of those fairy tales, but she never thought to apply it to real life, much less that he would actually manage to find a princess. How was she able to know that the princess he'd find would want nothing less than for him to give up his life for her? Lava wasn't her mother. She didn't have clairvoyance.

"Lava?" Blake called out, cutting the awkward, thick air caused by the pondering silence. Lava broke out of her thoughts of her brother and looked at the cat Faunus. "Lien for your thoughts?"

"I just hope that my brother stays lucky enough for us to find him," the dragon replied before letting out a small, slightly exhausted sigh, leaning as far back as her wings would allow her. She tried to resist any negative thought against the small hope she was clinging to, but the memory of last night caught up with her. "Then again, he can sometimes try to do something that's too much for him to handle. Last night is evidence of that."

"Weren't you the one that said it was us that pushed him into that?" Blake asked, remembering their morning conversation. Lava hummed in thought while Weiss seemed only slightly confused at what they were talking about.

"Yeah, but we're not there to be blamed if he gets into something like that now," Lava replied, though hardly seemed concerned. She stood up, slightly annoyed at her own wings for not allowing her to lean back as much as she'd seen others do when they wanted to relax. She raised her arms and snaked them around each other and stretched her back, feeling good from it. "Now, enough of this negativity. Did you guys know that Vargas was actually afraid of humans when he was a kid?"

* * *

Promises are never to be broken, that's what he always believed and that's what he had always stuck by, but when a complete stranger brings you back your daughter – annoying at times she may be – after she tells you that the three humans that have been harassing them were harassing her, well, then there are times that you just have to make an exception. Augus Sterling had picked his sword from the wall of his shop, despite his promise to his wife that he'd never pick up a blade again, that he'd stop risking his life as a Hunter. He'd managed to stay true to this promise for nearly the past decade, ever since their daughter had been born, ever since his wife passed away giving birth. He sent a silent prayer as he left out the door, begging his wife for forgiveness for breaking his promise.

Augus stood exactly at six foot tall, with a figure kept lean and healthy with his chores of chopping trees into logs, and eventually, those logs into either firewood or timber if the village needed a new building. If he wasn't doing that, then he spends his time playing and entertaining his daughter as much as he could and whenever he couldn't, he spent it hammering away at heated metal, forging tools and weapons for the villagers to use. His apparel always seemed dirty, sweat always apparent on him, a curse of spending hours after hours in the heat of the forge he's almost always around. His black short-sleeved shirt stuck to his body and was damp because of the sweat, forcing the dirt in the air to stick to it like glue. A dirty, dark brown, leather apron was wrapped around his body, covering his front as much as it could to protect him from the heat of the forge and the sparks and embers that came from his work. A pair of jeans covered his lower half; loose to ensure that it doesn't stick to his legs should it start to sweat. The thick gloves he usually wore to protect his hands from fire lay on a table in his house, allowing him far greater use of his hands.

Nearly half an hour after the stranger and the Grimm have left the village, Angela had already told the entire village about Ash and his plan to distract the Grimm and lead them away. Thankfully, every single person came to the agreement to go after the stranger to thank him, and they began to rush to get their gear together, armor and weapons of differing shapes and sizes that range from spears to simple hammers and even one with a bow and arrow, after they heard from Angela that Ash couldn't handle the creatures of Grimm too well. In mere minutes, there were nearly a dozen people ready to go out and find the stranger. There would've been more if it weren't for the fact that they still needed people to stay and defend the village should the Grimm come back. Augus tried to convince his daughter to stay at the village while they search for her friend but she remained adamant, arguing that she had a responsibility for abandoning him in the first place. In the end, Augus would agree with the condition that she stay near him and would only stray from him to hide should they encounter Grimm.

Tracking where Ash and the Grimm proved to be a far easier task than something as simple as fishing. There was a direct path of destruction of the vegetation: crushed bushes, claw marks on tree trunks, and broken branches of small, growing trees. They tracked for nearly half an hour, slowing and even coming to stop once or twice when they heard the Grimm, thinking that maybe Ash was close by fighting the Grimm. When they found a congregation of Grimm after reaching the end of the path of destruction, the group hid, wondering what they were doing.

Augus quickly picked up the scent of blood and rushed in, leaving his daughter back at the group. He drew his sword and caught a Beowolf by surprise, cleaving its neck straight through. An arrow flew past his head and made a home in the right eye of one of the Ursai, forcing it to reel back and roar in pain. The remaining of the fighters went in with Augus, while their one archer stayed back with Angela. The villagers have always hidden from Grimm, and because of it, they fought sluggishly and uncoordinated, only annoying and angering the Grimm. However, to Augus, it couldn't have been easier. He thought that coming back to the job of hunting Grimm after so many years would make him dull, but as he fought and cleaved his way through the Grimm, he found that theory false. He remembered hunting Grimm the same way all those years ago.

Like many in his time as a Hunter, his weapon was as simple as they came. There wasn't a need for something as complex as a scythe that morphed into a gun, if something of the like even existed. His blade was four and a half foot in length, with hilt and blade together. It was of simple steel, like much of the swords created in his time. As a blacksmith, he kept his sword always sharp, always clean, and always ready for use if something or someone came to harm him or his daughter; after all if he were simply defending his home and his daughter, it wouldn't be breaking his promise to his wife.

The blade cut through the Grimm like a heated knife through butter. The others around him only proved to be added obstacles, but there was no way he'd ever add voice to that thought; the others around him were irreplaceable friends after all. There were times when one of them would try to bite off more than they could chew, forcing Augus to save them. Soon, the five Beowolves and the two Ursai have either been killed or ran away for the sake of fighting another day. Augus, Angela, and the other villagers were more or less all right, some had a few cuts and bruises, and other were tired, but they were all alive. Angela immediately rushed to her father who was looking around, giving the surroundings a once over before giving everyone an 'all clear.'

Angela immediately spotted the bloody heap that became of her new friend. She immediately left her father's side and ran to Ash. Augus reacted immediately, grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her to the side, demanding that she does not look. He whistled once attracting the attention of the villagers and motioned for someone to check on his daughter's friend. The archer volunteered to be the one to do it, and jogged to the young man. He looked Ash over and inspected his wounds, muttering a curse as he pulled out an arrow and cut at the fabric of his clothing, removing his long sleeves, and wrapping them around the young man, trying desperately to stop his bleeding.

"Hey! I need more sleeves here! We need to stop the bleeding!" he announced to the group, urgency evident in his voice. Everyone immediately rushed over, whilst they removed their shirts and gave them up to be used as makeshift bandages. It took a while to cut at the fabric of the shirts, and wrap them around the young man's wounds, but even then there wasn't much the makeshift bandages could do. "Can I get some more help here? He's still alive but barely. We need to get him back to the village. NOW!"

Augus immediately forced his sword, sheath and all, to one of the other villagers, stepped forward and picked up Ash, carefully putting the boy stable against his back. He reeked of dirt and blood; his breathing less noticeable than the beating of a fly's wings, even with the copious amount of fabric covering and clenching his wounds, blood still seeped from them and threatened to douse Augus. On Ash's back Lava's sword was still wrapped hilt to sheath, remaining secure on his back. The Atlas blade on the other hand was missing the hilt, but retained the majority of the broken blade inside. Angela looked on the ground to find the missing part desperately, as if the part determined whether or not her friend lives through his injuries. She found it covered in similar crimson substance that her friend was now, it was unusually heavy and slippery to the touch, forcing her to clutch it with two hands and hold it against her small figure as to not drop it, not caring that the liquid was now being spread to her.

"Don't shake him too much," the archer whispered to Augus before they all made their way back to the village, hopefully without attracting the attention of Grimm despite carrying what could be the most appetizing thing the Grimm could ever acquire the scent of. "The cloth is barely doing anything, it was mainly so that your daughter could still hope."

Without waiting for so much as a simple nod from the blacksmith, the archer made his way to the front of the group and led their way back home, arrow already resting on his bow ready to be nocked and let loose. True to her agreement with her father, Angela stayed within arm's reach of Augus, both bloody from their cargo. The group did end up meeting Grimm opposition along the way, trying to track down the irresistible scent of blood they managed to catch trace of. Every time, Augus would set Ash's body down on the floor as gently as he could, where the scent of blood couldn't travel as well, and disposed of the Grimm as quickly and as quietly as he could, not wanting to attract more with unnecessary fights as well as to keep the group moving in fear that his daughter's friend would lose too much blood to be brought back from death's door.

When they reached the village, Augus yelled at the top of his lungs for everyone to bring as many buckets of water to his smithy as fast as they could. The village had no means of closing wounds more than just the usual accidental scrapes from tools, and even less curatives to help heal such wounds, medicinal wise anyway. However, if it were just for pure survival, then his forge and the young man's Aura would have to be enough. Augus placed Ash on a metal table that he normally used for repairing tools and hammering and shaping heated metal. The response for water was immediate; villager after villager carrying a bucket full of water began to pile in the already cramped room. Carefully, Augus started to remove the cloth that 'helped' keep the blood inside Ash's body.

Angela was smart, and had seen a situation like this once before. She went home, ran to her room, shut the door and jumped on the bed, plugging her ears with the pillow, simply trusting her father in knowing what he was doing.

"Keep putting pressure on those wounds!" Augus yelled at the villagers chosen to help, while he heated a scrap piece of iron roughly six inches long and two inches wide. There were three people surrounding Ash's body, their hands on various parts of the boy's body, blood seeping through their fingers. "All right, move!"

The three moved away from Ash, allowing Augus to bring the newly heated slab of iron safely to Ash's body before pressing it to the most major of his wounds. A pain filled howl echoed throughout the small room, escaping to the outside, echoing more in the open sky as the one it originated from writhed on the metal table. In response to this, one of the three helpers returned and used every bit of strength he had to stop any unnecessary movements. The blacksmith kept the heated iron against Ash's body for a few seconds more before he moved it back to the forge to reheat. When he left, a villager carrying a bucket quickly walked up and poured the ice-cold water to the skin that once had the iron pressed against it. Ash's skin cooled, and once the bucket was emptied, only a mark of where the slab of iron as well as a few significant lines that used to be wounds were the only things apparent.

This process was repeated several more times. Augus cauterizing the wounds close, Ash unconsciously screaming in the unbelievable pain, a villager pouring ice-cold water on the freshly heated skin, and all of them hoping that they aren't just accelerating the death of the person they were trying to help. Some begged Augus to stop, to just let the boy die, but he ignored them and kept going, forcing these people to leave the shop completely nauseous. There were actually times that Augus nearly stopped, his empathy fighting against his thoughts and agenda, but kept in mind that if he stopped, then Ash would die and all their efforts would've been for nothing. By the time they were finished, the sun had began to set, dying the sky in a golden orange glow.

There was a time that they had to stop for a while so that more water could be brought, a time they could only hope the stranger had. But now, that stranger was lying on the metal table, drenched in his sweat instead of blood. The wounds he had suffered were now nothing more than pale lines, differing in size, though were painted with slight red from the remnant heat of the iron slab. He was sleeping, almost in a dream-like state, with slightly ragged breathing. His clothes, or what were once his clothes, were ripped from Grimm claws, and bloodied from his injuries; even the bandages he kept around his chest was not spared. He was slowly stripped of the rags that were his clothes, with everyone in the area catching a glimpse of the secret he hid. As his jeans were removed, a small black flash drive fell out of one of the pockets. Augus looked at it curiously before pocketing it himself to give back to Ash once he awoke. Left in nothing more than his undergarments, Ash was carried carefully to the guest room in the Sterling household, incoherently muttering something. He was left to sleep in the room, dreaming of better times, of times with Weiss, of times with Lava, and of times he took refuge in the sky during his time alone in Atlas.


	24. As Long As I Live And Breathe

_Winters in Atlas are brutal, unforgiving, and merciless. Even the lightest of breeze was frigid, and had the ability to freeze anything it touches. For countless vagabonds, consisting mostly of Faunus, simply seeing the sun is a blessing of itself. Food for the day may be scarce, but as long as the sun was out, then they were happy and content. To them the sun meant a respite from the night air, a more hospitable time to search for whatever scrap of food they could gather, as well as to search for some way to defend themselves from the winds of the following night. A six-year-old Ash was one of those vagabonds._

 _After spending a single month on the streets of Atlas, every day seemed to blend into one another, giving the impression that every time he slept at night was just a small nap of the day before the rest of it continued; that month had been a year ago. Unlike the previous year, his wings had grown into a pair suitable for someone his size to take flight. Unfortunately, this also meant that many of those around him tend to be more cautious of him, sparing no pity, both humans and Faunus alike. To the humans, he was just another degenerative Faunus, probably looking to score a free meal off of them or even steal their belongings. Because of this, he couldn't look to them for help, and on the few occasions he tried, he was simply kicked to the ground by some larger person, spitting false accusation of his attempts._

 _The Faunus saw him not as one of them, but as some monster capable of stealing the food they've worked so hard to acquire and have a way to quickly escape them. In the end, the Faunus ended up being more of a threat to him than the humans. While they were afraid of him stealing their food, it apparently was all right if they were the one stealing from him. At some nights after he was successful in acquiring even a single loaf of bread, there would be a horde of other starving Faunus that would catch sight of the loaf and try to get it for themselves. If he was not starving too much, and the cold had yet to drain him of energy, he'd fly away and enjoy his small meal in the sky among the clouds, under the light of the moon and the stars._

 _He'd stay there for a while, seemingly asleep, mimicking him lying on a bed made of air and clouds, simply watching the stars dance across the night sky. The position disabled his wings from gathering pockets of air, forcing him to glide through the air, only hoping that he remains lucky enough to not hit anything. The sight laid out in front of him distracted him from his staved hunger, the bone chilling cold, and the cruelty of both humans and Faunus. He'd remember what his mother used to tell him about the dragons and their rightful claim of the sky. He'd right himself, and breathe in deep._

 _"My name is Vargas!" he'd yell high above the clouds, letting his voice echo with authority. He'd remember his name 'Vargas' and the ancestor he was named after. He'd remember the title of Ignis, the closest thing to a king without actually being one. He'd smile at what that ancestor would say to rally his people. "I am a dragon! The sky is my kingdom! Where no one is starving. Where no one is suffering. Where everyone is equal. I am a dragon! Here, I am king!"_

 _Of course, he'd soon laugh at himself for even thinking that he'd be something like his namesake. Unlike him, his namesake was successful in life, leading a life of never ending adventure and acts of heroism that will be passed on through generations of dragons to come. He, a small ash, was no one. None of the people around him even knew of the existence of dragons before he'd encounter them, something that always threatened to pry hope away from his fingers. To the world, the dragons have long been forgotten, even after being once at the top of the world, like in the stories his mother had told him and Livia._

 _He'd look to the large manor that always catches his eye whenever he was in the sky. It was large, blindingly white even in the middle of the darkest nights, from its walls to its fences and even the white flowers he'd see that bloomed in the garden whenever he dared to come close. However, most importantly, it looked warm, friendly, flawless, just like how he imagined his namesake describe the sky as his kingdom. That's why it confused him when he saw a small figure of a young girl that seemed to look up directly at him with the loneliest expression he'd ever seen. He gave her a small wave, but she did not wave back, rather she now seemed to look past him. He turned around to see the blinding moonlight and laughed at himself. She wasn't looking at him, but at the broken moon, and that he was probably in the shadows with the black sky serving as his backdrop._

 _He dared not move, fearing that the slightest movement would give away his figure and she would retreat back into, what he could assume, her room, disabling him from taking in her sight. She had the fairest skin, as if even the smallest specks of dirt were afraid of dirtying her skin. Her hair just barely pushed past her shoulder and was as white as the snow that occasionally fell from the sky and piled on the ground. Her slender figure was sheltered behind a one-piece nightwear that reached just below her knees. She didn't seem to be fazed by the cold at all, more like she felt comfortable with it surrounding her body. Unknowingly, he grew a small desire to just greet her and his wings beat once, pushing his body forward and closer to the young girl._

 _He continued to come closer, with the shadow of the cloud behind him, barely concealing him from her view. She turned her head slightly and he stopped his advance as she was now staring directly at him. He looked around and found himself at the height of the manor roof, his right wing's outline illuminated by the moon's light. He looked back at her, slightly panicking and found her just looking at him like a curiosity any could find in a museum. He beat his wings once to keep himself afloat and she slightly flinched at the foreign movement. He wished he could completely stop having to beat his wings, but he could only float in place for so long without doing so. Once more he gave her a small wave with his right hand, and the simple movement snapped the girl out of her trance-like state and ran back to her room. Ash let out a disappointed sigh before slowly flying back above the clouds to spend a few more hours up there lost in his thoughts despite the colder temperature._

* * *

Ash opened his eyes to the scenery of an unfamiliar room. It was small but compared to the rooms that teams had to share in Beacon; the one-person bedroom was spacious in its own right. There was very little furniture in the room: the single bed Ash lied on at the furthest corner of the room from the door, white sheets wrinkled from what he could guess the way his body writhed in pain while he slept, the mattress was slightly worn out and the cushion concealed the springs inside visually, but barely concealed the feeling. A small drawer with two slots for whatever clothing the owner could have was on the opposite wall of the bed, barely used from what he could see. And next to the bed was a writing desk, along with a chair to mimic a set, both a hand me down for certain by the way it was bent in here and there, giving the impression that it had more than likely had been rained on and dried several times in its existence. All of them made of wood much like the room, except for the single candlelight on top of the desk.

His whole body hurt. It not only hurt when he tried to move, but even just being still hurt, as if his body had thousands of fine needles embedded in every single centimeter of his body, even the thin blanket that covered his body hurt him. His throat was dry and had the taste blood ever present. He didn't need to look down to know that most of his clothing is gone, not surprising with the beating he took under the mercy of Grimm claws. He could guess that the ones who saved him probably took whatever his clothes had become off of him and tended to his wounds. His heart began to race when the realization that he was in fact still alive dawned on him. His memories of the last time he was conscious flooded his thoughts like water from a broken dam. The Grimm, his failed attempt at a final stand, his mistake, his regrets, his life flashing before his eyes, his laughter near the end, then finally his wounds.

In a panic he lifted his upper body till he was resting his head on the wooden headboard despite the pain that surged through him like lightning. He removed the sheet as fast as his body would allow him and inspected his body. The wounds he suffered were immediately apparent, though now as unusual scars of differing shapes and sizes. His Aura seemed to have already started repairing the tissue that littered his body from slightly deformed scar tissue to the usual undamaged epithelial just like it had done to the scars on his chest that he received from the first time he ever fought Grimm. Though now, he had more questions regarding the situation, with the most curious being how such wounds have healed in a strange way and how long he's been bed ridden.

He swung his legs to the side of the bed and planted his feet on the ground. The pain from such simple movements was almost unbearable. It seemed to him that every single part of his body was much more sensitive than before. From the lightest touch of the ground he was able to tell exactly how much insignificant dirt and grime was underneath his feet, whereas before such things would be completely ignored by the sensors of the body. He pushed himself up from the bed and tried to remain steady by using the headboard for support, but the small movement it took to raise his arms to rest against the wood and keep on his feet shot more of the neurological shocks of pain up his spine. He would've fallen if it wasn't for the fact that falling to the floor would surely be much more uncomfortable than what he was in now. He spotted a pair of worn jeans he could use and put them on despite his legs protests.

He used the wall as support as he made his way to the door and out the room. Opening it to the view of an even larger room completely void of human and Faunus life only filled with even more wooden furniture. Guest or not, he dared not just get water without the permission of the owner; instead he used the furniture and walls to try and find at least someone. He eventually made his way to the front door, where the sun's bright rays peered through the cracks between the door and the doorframe. He opened it to the sight of blinding light and the sound of a small bustling village.

"Ash!" he heard the familiar voice of Angela call out to him and turned his head in the direction it came from. He found her running towards him energetically and smiled at her though a bit restrained. She immediately latched on to the fabric of the jeans, excited that her friend was finally up. "You're alive! My dad and some of the villagers went after you and saved you. It was a good thing they did too, you were almost… Anyway, they fixed you back up!"

"Miss Sterling, please let go," Ash pleaded with the desire to scream in pain smothered somewhere in his throat. Angela looked up at him confused while he was trying to keep face, not wanting to let her catch on to exactly how sore his body really was. "My body's severely sore. Even your gentle tugs cause me much pain."

Angela immediately let go and Ash tried to stabilize his condition again, just in time to watch Augus walk up to the two with dirty clothing and outside his blacksmith apron. Angela took a step to the side away from Ash and looked down what he could guess to the young girl's father looked at his guest with slight disapproval. There were other villagers who stopped what they were doing and looked in their direction, murmuring and whispering to each other as if teenagers looking to start rumors.

"How are you feeling? Angela, go inside and get him a drink," Augus asked the dragon while his daughter did as she was told. He already knew the answer to his question by the way Ash seemed to be stuck in a slight hunchback posture and his hand on the doorframe, steadying himself to ensure that he doesn't fall over. Augus glanced at his guest's body, mainly at the new scars open to view, satisfied with what his wounds had become. "You were lucky you know. Had we been even a minute late, we wouldn't be having this conversation. We tended to your injuries as best we could, but as you can see, we're a tiny village with little to no medical supplies."

"So then how did you close my wounds?" he asked back, half his mind focusing on the little bit of relief that even a small glass of water would do for his parched throat. Angela came back with a glass of water, a small glass at that, but still larger than the one had in mind. "With what I can remember, these weren't wounds than a simple bandage keep me from bleeding out for my Aura to return."

"We had to burn your wounds close," Augus admitted, watching the boy nod understandingly before taking small sips of water from the glass until it was completely empty. Augus told Angela to get Ash another glass of water, even with the dragon's protests against it. The young girl left again, with the empty glass in her hands. "It's probably the reason why you're still hurt, but we had no choice. Your Aura will take care of those scars, but it'll take time. Until then, you're welcome to stay as my guest. You need something from me too, right?"

"Assuming, that you're already in possession of the weapons that were on my back," Ash replied, as Angela came from the house again with another glass of water in her hands. Once more, Ash took the glass gratefully and careful to not drop it due to his burning body. He brought the glass to his dried lips, but brought it back down as he realized something. "I had lien in my pocket. Did you find it?"

"Sorry, but some of the cards were ripped to shreds and those that weren't soaked in too much blood," the blacksmith answered with slight regret. It didn't take a genius to know that the boy came to the village fully prepared to pay for the repairs no matter how much it cost him, and according to Angela, the sword were for someone else. That was admirable enough for Augus to sympathize with his guest. "I'm sorry to say that without payment, I can't take the request. But for saving my daughter from those humans, and as an apology for doing something barbaric to you, I'll repair one for free."

"If that's the case, then please repair the lighter of the two," Ash quickly answered. His sister's sword was the priority, as he couldn't think of anyone using the unusually heavy Atlas sword, being too heavy for someone of the same size to use and too short for taller and more fit to wield it. Moreover, without an actual weapon, she Lava may be at a disadvantage as Huntress-in-training. "Just repairing that one is more than I can thank you for. I may just need to give up trying to repair the other one all together and send it as is. It may even be better that way."

"Are you from Atlas then?" Augus continued his interrogation while Ash drank more water from the glass. Anyone could tell that the dragon was still in pain, and a lot of it from the way his hand shook just to bring the glass up to his lips. Ash nodded once, gave the glass back to Angela and declined when she asked if he wanted more. "Thought so. The Atlas symbol was a dead giveaway, but why the weight? Pretty unorthodox, especially for something so plain nowadays."

"It's more for preference. Anything lighter is simply too unbalanced for me to use, it just feels more nor…" Ash began to explain, but as strayed off when he realized the futility in doing so. He wasn't going to use the blade anymore. In fact, no one will probably use the blade any longer, making the decision to keep it broken much more merited. "It hardly matters anymore. I won't be using it again, and it's too unbalanced for anyone else to use it. I'll just send it back as is, and hope that Miss Winter will be able to forgive me."

"'Winter?' The Schnee daughter in the army?" Augus guessed, hearing the name once or twice from other travelers that found themselves in the village a while back. Everyone knew the Schnee family, that's why to hear that one of the daughters – the eldest at that – is in the army, it becomes quite the curiosity. "How in Remnant do you know her? And what the hell did you do for someone like her to give you a weapon? Considering you're a Faunus and all."

"I'd rather not talk about, it's my blunder to bring up her name in the first place," Ash quickly tried to defuse. With his legs in similar pain if he was treading in hot magma, Ash pushed away from the doorframe and sat down on the wooden porch at the edge to watch the villagers go about their day as if nothing had ever happened with the Grimm. "How long have I been unconscious?"

"Three days, son. You hungry? We've some stew left from yesterday. Angela get him some would you?" before Angela could go back inside to get some food for her friend Ash quickly denied the offer. "Best get some food in you. You've lost a lot of blood. You're gonna need to get it all back."

"Instead of food, there was something else in my pockets other than lien, did you by chance find it?" the boy asked slightly hopeful, but with evident fear in his voice. Augus reached into his pocket and pulled out the small, black item he saw fall out from the destroyed clothing and handed it to Ash. The boy accepted it gratefully, holding it close to his chest as if to protect it from the world. "I cannot express my gratitude enough. Thank you Mister Sterling."

"If you're gonna call me something, then 'Augus' is fine. For Angela too, call her by her name," the blacksmith demanded, trying to convey that he wouldn't be taking any compromise. As he was the guest in their house, Ash had no choice but to accept the condition, giving the older man a nod before he continued in a joking tone. "Don't want her to get the same ego as her mom did. Oum knows the world doesn't need any more than what my wife was."

"Dad! Mom's gonna haunt you now," Angela countered, pouting and crossing her arms across her chest. Augus chuckled lightly, being reminded of his wife from the childish action of his daughter. Ash would've laughed too if his lungs weren't in flames and his chest wasn't so bruised. "Why don't you just go back to work and I'll take care of Ash? You guys still need to build that thing right? The big house?"

"Yeah, yeah," Augus replied exhaustedly, already walking away to go back to wherever he took a break from to greet his guest, though before he got too far, he turned around and spoke in a clear and concise voice. "Hey kid, your Aura should be helping out a little so if you wouldn't mind helping out around the village, we'll surely appreciate it. But if you can't today, don't worry about it. No one will put it past you considering what you've gone through. Oh, and thanks for saving my daughter."

With that, the blacksmith was gone, disappearing behind some houses and into the thick forest. Ash got up and tested his mobility, craning his neck, stretching his limbs, overall just testing his body's condition. It sucked. Every muscle groaned in pain as he forced them to move, and the slightest touch from anything sent a jolt running up and down his spine. Even then, he'd already decided to start helping wherever he could, holding nothing but gratitude to the people of the small village. He'd already resigned to his fate to die under Grimm claws, but he was still alive because of them. It may be temporary and the condition of his body has barely left Death's door, but he has some purpose once more.

"Hey Ash?" Angela called out next to him. He turned to her in response and found her staring at the small object on his hand. He smiled at the girl's curiosity and handed it to her for a closer look. She inspected the tiny object as best as she could, only to determine that it was nothing more than a tiny, un-opening, black, plastic box. "What is this? Why is it so important?"

"That stores data that one can access on any terminal or computer," Ash explained, keeping it brief since he doubted he'd ever have the chance to show her what he meant. Angela was confused, but accepted the explanation without question, immediately becoming uninterested in it. Ash saw this and moved on to something she may find more interesting. "That specific one has and will only hold one thing: a video of an actual princess telling the world what she truly felt in the form of a song she'd composed herself. Her angelic voice is so pure that it captivates anyone that hears it, be it human, Faunus, or Grimm. But so beautiful that it breaks your heart."

"You know a princess?" Angela asked with both interest and curiosity revitalized. Ash chuckled and nodded once, watching the girl hold up the plastic item as if it some holy grail with eyes shining from elation. "Where is she now? Is she at her castle with her prince? Are they living happily ever after? I bet she has, like, a hundred servants taking care of her. She's so lucky."

"Actually… Angela," Ash replied, complying with Augus' wishes to call both him and his daughter by their given names. Angela was slightly disappointed, wishing that Ash would keep up the princess treatment for a little while longer, but quickly disregarded it, finding it second to Ash's princess. "Right now, she's at Beacon Academy, training to become a Huntresses so that she could save the world. And as of now, she hasn't thought of a romantic partner just yet, even though she could easily find one."

"Do you like her?" the young girl asked cautiously, handing the flash drive back to Ash who pocketed it carefully, hoping that he doesn't ever lose it. Ash's eyes dimmed at the nostalgic question.

"I love her the way I should," he repeated the phrase like a broken record. His body went cold and suddenly the pain that he was experiencing from the wounds disappeared as the pain of some ethereal being squeezing his heart surfaced. "I love her as a friend. I love her the way she wants me to. Anyway, unfortunately, I'm unable to show you the video. So for now, let's see who we can help out, shall we?"

Ash stepped off the porch and nearly collapsed with the surged of pain his legs were hit with. Luckily, he managed to stretch out his hand and reached for beam for support and Angela managed to step in to support him in whatever way she could. She wore a worried expression as she tried to push Ash's body up as much as she can. Ash straightened his posture and took another step, ignoring or at least trying to get used to the temporary pain he was in.

There were only a few people left walking or conversing about the village plaza, meaning that the rest were either in the forest, foraging or cutting down trees, or were inside their homes resting or preparing for the night. For now, Ash was as much a part of this village as anyone else there, and he had to do his part, no matter how battered his body may be. It's the least he could do to thank them for what they've done.

* * *

It was midday and every student in Beacon were taking their time, enjoying their meals and break from classes, as well as the usual neutral chaos that they some students are known for. Teams RWBY and JNPR were sat at their usual table with Team LAVA were sat at an adjacent one to them. All hostility between the senior team and the junior teams seems to have been dissipated into smoke, except for Aaron who was angry that he was left out of the loop. He'd been continuously searching for Ash for the past three days, completely oblivious – along with Valora and Aiden, who didn't seem to mind as much – to the fact that the boy was in fact gone. The wolf wanted revenge for being thrown to a wall, knocked unconscious, feeling that he'd been humiliated in front of a large group of people. Though truth be told, he only cared that he was humiliated in front of his team, the opinions of others hardly matters to him. Even now, the wolf looked for the dragon thinking that as long as he had Weiss in direct line of sight, he'd soon find Ash.

Lava's reason for keeping such a secret from her teammates is pretty much the same as Weiss' from before: the less people know that Ash is a dragon, the better. She trusted her teammates, but she, or anyone of them, had no way of knowing how Ash would feel about the matter: now that so many already know, and some already suspicious, would keeping his Faunus ancestry even matter anymore? They knew that there are many who wouldn't care, many more who would be ecstatic, and only a few who'd even think to use it against him, but if that were the case, why was it a closely guarded secret before, even with the friends that he'd made? He'd said that it was because he's hiding due to the fact that his deal with Weiss' father was to serve Weiss as a human, but now he wasn't her servant, would it still matter?

Ash's sudden disappearance was quickly dissipated into rumors stating that he was sent back to Atlas to further assist in Winter Schnee's project with Weiss' permission. These, of course, were rumors that Teams RWBY and JNPR, along with Lava and a few of the staff, had spread around the academy in hopes that it'll quickly defuse an attempt should anyone become too curious or suspicious. It worked for the most part, with Team CFVY's Coco Adel remaining suspicious of the rumor, and Team LAVA's Aaron not buying the lie whatsoever, claiming that he can smell a lie. The only problem is that with the Atlas general, James Ironwood, roaming around Vale, a simple question can burn the veil in to nothing more than ashes. The idea of telling the general did appear, but that would also mean that he'd have to be told that Ash is a dragon, considering he doesn't already know. And should Ironwood catch ear of the rumor, he might not be able to resist the urge to ask Winter personally. This, however, was a problem easily rectified. Weiss had decided to tell her sister of Ash's current condition, as well as his secret, thinking that she was one of the most deserving to know. Though that would have to wait till later.

Weiss was currently playing with two peas left on her plate, simply just knocking them to one side before knocking them to another without damaging either one with the fork she was using. She'd dreamt this morning, though briefly, about a few times she'd hear someone's voice echo throughout the night sky when she was a child just looking up at the stars and the shattered moon; a voice that she now believed to be Ash's.

"I am a dragon. The sky is my kingdom. Where no one is starving. Where no one is suffering. Where everyone is equal. I am a dragon. Here, I am king," she repeated the words she remembered absent-mindedly, attracting the attention of her friends, including Team LAVA on the adjacent table. The realization that she'd said it out loud quickly dawned on her and she immediately looked up unable to explain herself.

"Whoa there Weiss," Lava quickly said, her tone was as if Weiss reciting those words were a great insult to her. Her wings fluttered slightly as she stood up, looking over to the other table. She was smiling lightly; a little impressed that she recited it at all. "First off, liar. You can't say that. You're not a dragon. Second, even if you were a dragon, you need to be high above the clouds before you can say it. Third, you need to say it with a loud and clear, like a leader. Fourth, how in Remnant do you even know that?"

"I heard it before when I was a child," the heiress answered albeit still a bit distracted by the sudden surfacing of the memory. She had no proof other than Ash being a dragon, and those times were before her sixth birthday. "I'd enjoy the night sky every once in a while and I'd hear it echoing throughout Atlas from time to time. Why? What's its significance?"

"It's something Vargas, an old dragon ancestor once said to rally his troops against Grimm despite impossible odds," Lava explained, choosing her words carefully as to not give away the secret they wanted to keep hidden, for now. So far, she could see no doubt in her team's eyes, only curious enthusiasm. "It was my brother's favorite story, even though the ending was… not so happy. But every time he wanted to cry, but didn't want to show it, he'd make his way up the highest tower we had and repeat that line."

"What do you mean by 'not so happy?'" Ruby asked, her incredibly strong affinity towards fairy tales pinning those words to her head, deeming it wrong and requires re-writing. She already had an idea what she meant, after all, there was only one ending that every story has had so far that involved the Grimm.

"Let's just say that what's impossible will, no matter what, stay impossible," Lava answered somewhat vaguely, finding the story of their ancestor to be one of the least likeable of every story she's ever heard. She hated that it frightened her that Ash would try and replicate something like it. "I've always hated that story. Even though he died protecting the people that first kingdom promised to protect, everyone always used the name Vargas when describing a monster. Imagine having a brother with the same name."

Lava sat back down, rather bitterly, her mood seemingly ruined for the rest of the day. Not that she'll ever tell anyone, especially her brother, but there were times that she had to act as the protective sister before. She'd overhear other children talk behind her brother's back, calling him 'unwanted' and, at times, 'monster.' The fact that Ash wasn't of flesh and blood to the Valentine's was kept a heavily guarded secret that even her father guarded with his life, but somehow it got out and it became the talk of their prospering village of dragons. She'd always told him to ignore them, that they didn't know what they were talking about, but it became the main reason Ash went up the tower. That's why she promised herself that she'd always hate that story, the would-be hero only seen as a monster.

"Why aren't you happy?" Aaron asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at his leader. Lava, Valora, and Aiden turned to him confused, with a little bit of shock on Lava's part. "That story of the heiress kinda pointed out that your brother is at Atlas. Normally, someone in your place would be happy. So why aren't you?"

"I… It's because there are others who liked that story," Lava lied as best she could, her wings unfolding briefly before folding once more. The junior teams could only watch with held breaths as the dragon girl tried to push suspicion away from her. "I don't want to have such high hopes like I did with Ash."

"Speaking of the butler, how's he doing back at Atlas, heiress?" Aaron asked in a loud enough voice so that the teams on the other table could hear him. There was a bit of murmuring from the two teams, his wolf ears only able to hear a few words increasing his suspicion further: winter, Ash, and later. "Umm guys? Hello? Questions usually have answers you know?"

"It's only been a few days," Weiss answered, her mind trying to come up with the best lie she could possibly summon. The rumor could only provide a little support in coming up with the lie, but without consulting her sister first, it was only a very temporary escape. "My sister has only given me a rather vague description of what's gone on. Ash's knowledge in the area would allow them to find more Dust to work with as well as take some work off my sister."

While she spoke, she discreetly reached into her pocket, out of the other table's view, and pulled out her scroll, maneuvering through the mixture of icons and menus. She stole some glances at the scroll, making sure that she was ready to force her scroll to ring to mimic an alarm or a call. Once she'd finished her thought, her scroll rang, but instead of her forcing it to ring, it actually rang by itself. She pulled it up and looked at the screen, seeing Winter's photo, looking ever so regal and refined, staring back at her. She immediately accepted the call and saw her sister.

Winter wore her usual stern expression, looking intimidating even with her white hair tied into a bun like always with only the bangs swept to the side, almost entirely covering her right eye. Her regal looking military outfit ended in the choker like collar with the small red gem keeping it together. Around her neck was the sister locket that Weiss wore, the only difference between the two was the color of the gem and undoubtedly the pictures inside. Winter's locket was a deep red in color whereas Weiss' was light blue.

"Weiss, I'm sorry to call you at such an inconvenient time," Winter apologized, sitting at her desk with a pile of papers in front of her. She narrowed her eyes at Weiss as if trying to decipher her confused expression. "But if I may take a little bit of your time, there's a little matter that I wish to have cleared up. Just the two of us, if you wouldn't mind."

"Umm… sure Winter, just allow me a little time," Weiss replied, standing up and walking away after saying a quick farewell to her friends. She made her way to the pavilion where she doubted anyone would be, pleased to see that she was right. She sat down at one of the tables and checked in with her sister. "All right, I'm alone."

"Weiss, General Ironwood has informed me that Ash was, or is, supposed to be here, assisting me with the project once more," Winter informed her, keeping her gaze at Weiss to see any differences in expression. Weiss stiffened, a little stunned that the lie only lasted a few days. "I thought that this might be of your doing, or at least one of your friends, am I correct?"

"Yes, you're correct," Weiss admitted, letting out a sigh. She'd planned to tell Winter about it after classes had ended in the confines of the dorm room, this would have to do. "What did you tell General Ironwood?"

"I told him that I asked Ash to help whenever he could and that I had no idea he was coming," she replied, earning a slightly appreciative look from Weiss. Though it didn't last long. A simple glare from Winter was enough to completely wipe the expression off of Weiss, as if it had never existed in the first place. "Weiss, I need you to tell me what's going on, right now. Everything, please, don't spare any of the details. The more I know, the easier it would be for me to decide whether or not to forgive you."

"Winter, I just don't know where to start," Weiss laid the scroll flat on the tabletop and planted her elbows there as well. Her hands went up to her forehead and simply let them carry the weight of her head while pushing her bangs out of her forehead and eyes at the same time. "There's so much to explain that I'm simply overwhelmed. It's gotten to the point that I no longer know where the beginning is."

"I understand your frustration, sister, so let me make it at least a little bit easier for you," Winter replied, now more worried about her sister than angry. Frustration was something she knew all too well; it was one of the reasons that she left the position of heiress to Weiss, after all. However, seeing it so clearly plastered on her younger sister was something different, it seemed much more damaging. "I'm simply going to ask you questions, and you'll answer them to the best of your abilities. There's no need to deliver such an in depth answer as of yet, just the direct answer will do. It takes time, but this will be easier for you. Take your time to gather your breath and tell me when you're ready to start."

Weiss leaned back on the chair, disappearing from her sister's view and breathed in deep and exhaled slowly several times until her once nervous, racing heart became steady and slow. She picked up her scroll and faced it towards her so that the two sisters could see each other again. She gave Winter a single, small nod, telling her that she was ready.

"Ok, then the first question," Winter started as calmly as she could. Both knew that they had limited time, but at what cost when all that's said only causes more confusion. At least this way, more information could be shared that isn't so confusing. "Where is Ash?"

"Gone," Weiss simply said and said no more after that, much to Winter's frustration and annoyance.

"Ok, then I guess we move on the second question," her displeasure to her sister's answer was evident in her voice, something that Weiss quickly picked up on. Though she did say that simple answers would do, Winter wasn't expecting one word answers that lead to more questions. "Weiss, this time try to _cooperate_ with me a little more. I'm not asking for much. With that in mind, let's move on. I'm going to go ahead and assume that he's not _dead_ 'gone.' He's way too lucky for such mercy. So what happened to him?"

"I relieved him of his position," Weiss answered, looking away from the scroll, not wanting to see her sister's expression. With good reason, at her answer, the expression on Winter could only be described as a mixture of shock and disappointment. Weiss waited for Winter to say something, to scold her, but it never came. Weiss looked back at her sister and saw her expression, prodding Weiss for more information. "I could no longer stand to watch him get hurt because of me. To die for me was his wish and it was something that I couldn't agree with, something I couldn't grant him. That's why if that's the only thing he strives for, then I'd rather deny him of the only way it's possible."

"Weiss, what good has that done? Because of your decision, you've not only gotten yourself into a hole that you can't get out of but you've also dragged others into it: your friends, me... Ash," Winter finally scolded. Weiss looked away, knowing that there was no way to stop her nor was there a way for Winter to physically force her to look back. The action only served to frustrate Winter more, being forced to act the strict sister to someone she saw as a seventeen year old girl who was acting like a ten year old. "Forget that question for now. Let's move on to the third question. Why do you need an excuse for Ash's disappearance? If you'd just said from the beginning that you've relieved Ash of his position, then why bother to go through with all of this?"

"Ash had reunited with his sister before I relieved him. I knew, but I relieved him anyway, and now she wants him back."

"Weiss!" Winter's voice was that of unrestrained anger and shock. Weiss had never really seen Winter get angry, but there was a first for everything. She looked back at the scroll and found Winter glaring at her intensely. "He found his sister and you immediately ripped them apart? He's been with the Schnee family, with you, for a little over ten years now. He's had no contact with his family. By Oum, he wasn't even sure if they were alive. How would you feel if _I_ was suddenly taken away?"

"I do know how it feels Winter! You were taken away!" Weiss was nearly on the verge of tears, squeezing the scroll in her hands for some vent for her frustration. "And I know that I made a mistake. Please, I don't want you to be against me on this."

"And know that I will always be on your side Weiss, but you're not exactly giving me plenty of reasons to ignore all the blame placed on you," Winter's expression softened, feeling sorry for her sister, but recognized that this would be a good opportunity for Weiss to grow a little as an adult. She had made her decision on her own accord. That was the first step. Dealing with the consequences was the second, no matter how ridiculous her methods for doing so are. "Alright, now for the next question. How long do I have to pretend that Ash is here with me?"

"You're willing to keep up this lie?"

"Like I said, I will always be on your side," Winter let out an exhausted sigh, reaching to the ceiling of her office, stretching out her tired spine. With all the stress that Weiss' situation was giving her, on top of the usual stress her job gave her, any stress relief, no matter how small was a much needed and welcomed present. "Now, it's your turn to answer. By now, you should have enough courage to answer my questions in depth. Weiss please, if you can't tell me, your sister, then who can you tell?"

Weiss took her time to think about how to form an answer to her sister's question, and Winter simply allowed her the time, despite running out of it. The question echoed in Weiss' mind, unsure of how long they really would need to keep Ash's disappearance a secret. All they had planned was to go to Junior's Club after the team missions. The only reason that they couldn't go in the past few days was because of the team missions. The professors of Beacon have been busying themselves with preparing their students as much as they possibly could to ensure that they come back in one piece. Unfortunately, that also means a bunch of work for them to do in their own time, from simple assignments to research papers.

Even after the team missions, there was no telling how long it'll actually take them to find the boy, if they could at all. After all, there was no way they could hypothesize whether or not Ash is even alive. Luck was something that Ash had always had in abundance, but it was a resource that he's used on the daily, it was bound to run out. And even before it ran out, there's only so much that luck could do for one person. They can only hope that Ash hadn't depleted the very limited resource he was born with, despite all of the luck he'd already used up. In the end, Weiss was forced to reach a rather displeasing answer.

"I'll be honest, I'm not entirely sure on the time period," the answer didn't necessarily surprise Winter, rather it was one answer that she'd anticipated. With so many unknowns, she wasn't sure if there was another answer. Weiss took a deep breath before she lost whatever courage she'd managed to gather and before Winter could interrupt her train of thought. "We have a clue to his location, but with team missions already being assigned, it'd have to wait until we come back. However, if we end up getting nowhere with the clue, then… please tell General Ironwood that Ash has died on some expedition. We'll spread the information here as well."

"Are you all right with that?" Winter's voice was calm and collected, slowly trying to process what her sister had just said. She'd somewhat expected the answer, but it was one that she hadn't thought would ever be given voice, especially from her younger sister. Weiss gave her a slow nod, forcing Winter to let another sigh escape her lips. "Then why are you crying?"

At the question, Weiss reached up and wiped her eyes with her left sleeve, ridding them from the leaking liquid. Winter allowed her some time to fix her appearance, without saying a single word. After Weiss was satisfied with her appearance she took a breath.

"Weiss, let's move on to the next question," Winter waited to receive another nod from her sister before she continued, no longer caring about the time. Even if her duty called for her attention, she'd continue to ignore it. Even if Weiss needed to get to her class, she wouldn't let her. "If you managed to find him, what'll you do?"

"Hopefully convince him to train as a Hunter once more, something that both I and Headmaster Ozpin want for him," Weiss answered truthfully, her breath still uneven, and her heart beat going crazy once more from anxiety. For the past few days, Weiss had only breathed in regret from her decision, and even her dreams had been mostly about some misfortune falling upon Ash, and that had been the main cause for her anxiety. "Either way, I no longer have the right to ask for him to stay by me. My last words to him were to leave me alone, and to never show himself in front of me ever again."

"And if he doesn't want to? Then what?" Weiss shook her head, unable to come up with an answer. Truth be told, Winter hadn't expected an answer. However, it proved to be the perfect opportunity to provoke Weiss a little, hopefully forcing her to mature even further. "Then in the case that Ash decides that he doesn't want to continue training as a Hunter, would you pass him a message for me? Tell him that I want him to join the Atlas military, mainly to work for me. Ash was an invaluable asset to my project and I would like nothing more than to have him continue to work as my assistant."

Weiss' heart began to beat even faster from slight fear, threatening to jump out of her chest. Even if her time in the military had severely shortened her time with the family, Winter was still a Schnee. The Schnee family is still notoriously biased in the human-Faunus civil war. Her time in Beacon had taught her the company of Faunus and that the stories her father had told her of the race was without a doubt exaggerated. Her father and brother's aversion to the Faunus race was more or less set in stone, but Winter may be different. However, there's the chance that Winter may have the same aversion to the race.

"Wait Winter, if you're serious about this then there's something you should know," Weiss admitted, preparing herself to reveal Ash's secret despite her being screaming at her to back out.

"You're going to tell me that Ash is a Faunus?" Winter guessed, successfully interrupting her sister's train of thought. Weiss looked surprised, staring at Winter with wide eyes and mouth slightly agape. "I've known for a while now. He may be an expert at hiding the fact now, but when we were mere children, he was rather careless. I've seen him exit the bath with hardly a top on several times. I wanted to confront him about it, but I figured he was hiding it as some deal with Father. Besides, you don't think I'd forget the face of the person that saved my dear sister do you?"

Weiss' scroll vibrated and the still photo of a tiny alarm clock appeared just above Winter's head. They'd run out of time, and classes were to start up again soon, as well as the assigning of each team to their missions. The look on Weiss' face told Winter all she needed to know. The Atlas specialist let out one more exhausted sigh, attracting Weiss' attention once more.

"One last question, Weiss," Winter announced, waiting for Weiss' nod for her to continue the interrogation. She got it soon after, breathing in deep once before she continued. "In all of the noble families, when a servant's disobedience became a problem for the master, then the servant is simply relieved of their duty and that is that, no matter how long the servant has been with the family. However, you, a Schnee, you, who has detested all Faunus much more than I ever did, are sitting here before me, being swallowed up by her regret and sorrow over Faunus servant. My question to you is why? Tell me what you really feel Weiss."

"I'm not sure how I feel Winter. My thoughts have been thrown into disarray, as if some storm has been released in my mind, destroying everything in its path. However, even with that said, I can only think of one answer," Winter patiently waited for Weiss to give her answer, slightly feeling bad to the situation she'd found herself in. That's why it came as a surprise to her when Weiss shot her an intense and competitive glare. "Winter, you are my sister, I love you. But as long as I live and breathe, I will never hand Ash over to you."


	25. You're Like A Bird

Despite his desire to help out around the village, the villagers were very adamant on denying his help, especially when he was barely even able to walk properly. The villagers appreciated his intentions, but whenever he went to help even with something as simple as fetching water from a nearby river with Angela as a guide, he was only met with the person, or people, yelling at him to recover first. They argued that they worked too hard to save him, and they'll be damned if they became the cause of him falling again. In the end, he spent the rest of his day with Angela, touring the rest of the village as well as any areas of significance close to it, such as the river and the small area up in the mountains that the villagers once cleared of other vegetation so that they could use the land to farm.

The village only consisted of a dozen wooden houses that were solely used for the housing of the families. There were other buildings as well, but those were used for either storage, simple shops, and one was in the process of being built for apothecary. There was a medium sized inn that could hold nearly a dozen groups of travelers depending on the size of the group and their needs. There was the Sterling's smithy, being the only building that wood was hardly used as building materials in fear that it burns down, instead iron plating was for the walls inside with half a dozen windows on it to prevent Augus from dying from heat exhaustion. It was very easy to tell that out of all the buildings, the smithy was the one building that was the most expensive and time consuming to build, even when compared to the much larger inn.

The area around the village was thick with trees and other vegetation, hiding the village well from wandering Grimm, with only a few accidents in its history of suffering Grimm invasion, though only small ones. The six Beowolves and two Ursai that Ash and Angela brought had been the largest invasion the village had ever seen to date.

The river that the village depended on for water, whether it be for their laundry, baths, or just for drinking, was only a half hour walk to the east. The river itself was five yards wide and was only four feet deep. The surface of the water seemed calm with the flow looking steady and slow, but beneath the surface was a constant stream of raging water that can easily drag anyone downstream should they be careless. A several minute walk to the north was a waterfall, cascading heavy streams of water on the rocks below it. At the opposite end of the river, miles away, was a large lake of unknown depth, without a doubt containing some creature of Grimm beneath its surface.

The farm up in the mountains was strategically built around a small stream, branching away from main body that led to the waterfall. It was only a single acre large, and the crops slightly varied, with it mainly consisting of wheat and a few lines of corn. According to Angela, the farm was used to help supply the village with food, but in the end, the main source of food came from the merchants that occasionally came to the village or some of the villagers going into the city to purchase food, though only a few times has that been the case. No one lived in a farmhouse there, due to the fear of being left to fend for themselves should Grimm show up. Instead, there were a few designated families who travel all the way up to the farm from the village to manage it, though only during the day.

The village itself wholly consisted of Faunus families, with only a few with human family members. Due to the make up of the village, all Faunus were accepted without much of a second thought. However, in the negative, due to the make up of the village, there were plenty of humans who do their best to avoid the village, and some even go out of their way to harass its residence. Nevertheless, the gates remain open for any traveler, no matter their race. The only rule was that if someone causes trouble for those around them, then they'd have to leave the village once it was safe enough. No one in the village would ever drive someone out in the middle of the night, because in the face of the creatures of Grimm, they were all one people.

It had been several days since Ash had woken up in the village, the week had began all over again, and now that he's had time to recover, he'd been helping out whoever he could, whenever he could. But even then, there were still some doubts in the minds of many about him. Every time he managed to overhear some people talk about him, it had always been about the stumps on his back. Even when Augus had given him a skintight shirt that just barely covers his chest, upper back, and wings to make him look human, there still was talk about him. Ash tried to ignore it and continue through the day. He understood their caution; he was still just a stranger to the village after all.

Currently he was chopping logs into useable firewood for the fireplaces in homes, as well as fuel for cooking their food. He'd been at it for an hour and he's already cut countless of logs into firewood, but according to Augus, the village will need even more. Angela's explanation of it was the excess was stored in one of the unused buildings to be used at later times or at times of emergency. She's only seen one such emergency four years prior.

Grimm once invaded the village in broad daylight while the merchants were present. Everyone was forced to hide in their homes like always, with some sharing their homes with one or two merchants. When the Grimm refused to leave, Augus went out and retrieved firewood from the smithy and drove the Grimm away by setting the wood on fire and throwing them at the Grimm. Since then, there was always at least one storage building with plenty of firewood to spare should something of the sort happens again.

Even though the season was in the process of changing to the cool of winter, the sun still fought back valiantly against the cooling winds. The afternoon had been unusually scorching for the time of year and Ash was forced to take his hand me down white shirt from Augus, as well as the small black undershirt that he used to hide his stumps. He continued to work while Angela was sitting at a safe distance, simply watching him.

"Hey Ash, I have a question," Angela asked as Ash cut another small log into two with the axe given to him. He turned to her, lightly panting, and found her staring at his back. He exhaled slowly, as some form of sigh, fully knowing that such a situation was bound to happen. "You're a Faunus, but what kind?"

"I am a dragon, Angela," he answered, placing one more, small log on the tree stump serving as his axe's target. He swung the axe back and brought it down on the log, splitting it in two. He swiped the two pieces of firewood to the side with his right foot in the two piles already made. "I once had a pair of wings nearly as tall as me, and if I still had them today, maybe they'd be even taller."

"What happened?" the girl asked curiously, not even sure if she wanted to know. Considering all she's heard about the difference between humans and Faunus in the cities, the story she's asking for might be one that her father wouldn't want her to hear. "Did humans do that to you?"

"Hmm… Yes, but it isn't all as it seems," he admitted, taking his time to think of a way to explain without ever bringing up neither his past occupation nor his involvement with the Schnee family. He cut another log in half before he began his explanation. "When I was young, I made a deal with the father of an all human family. I would be able to stay in the household as the personal servant of the princess I told you about, but since the family would lose status if anyone were to find out that they had hired a Faunus to be a servant, I was to have my wings cut off and act as if I had been born a human. Of course, needless to say, I made the deal without need for a second thought."

"But don't you miss flying in the sky? You're like a bird, right? You have to fly," Angela reasoned childishly. Her imagination ran wild with thoughts of her friend flying high above the clouds with wings three times his size made of bone, skin, and feathers. She imagined him flying faster than the flying machines, Ash had called Bullheads, and even faster than Grimm. "I know if I could fly, I'd never want to give them up. I could go anywhere I want to. I could go from city to city without a care in the world, knowing that nothing can ever hurt me."

Ash stopped working for a bit to catch his breath and to properly think about what the young girl said. Truth be told, he did slightly did miss his wings; he slightly did miss the ability to fly. Though he was only able to fly for a year, he'd miss the feeling of freedom it gave him. For six months after he had his wings cut off, already two months of working for the Schnee family, he spent most nights crying at the loss of the appendages. The wings were proof of his connection to the mother he and Livia shared other than his memories, his connection to his ancestor and namesake, his ticket to vent his sorrows by quoting the first Vargas, and even his best and quickest escape if something ever goes wrong. His wings were proof that he was – is – a dragon.

Ash let out a sigh and closed his eyes. He focused all of his attention on his back and flapped his stumps as much as he could. The pair flapped three times, which would usually already be enough to send him away from the ground and half way up to the clouds, but he remained on the ground. The movement no longer felt comforting as it did when he was a child in the streets of Atlas, it felt foreign and pointless. His back no longer felt as heavy as it did back then, forcing him to think that maybe it was that reason that a heavier sword felt a bit more normal to him while his sister only carried a sword of normal weight. Strangely enough, even the drag he resisted against whenever a wind would blow in front of him, only to get caught up in his wings was something he missed, despite only finding it nothing more than a nuisance back then.

Once more, he tried to fly away by flapping his wings three more times. In his mind, he had actually soared, the brutal and cold wind, bombarding his face, forcing him to narrow his eyes and close his mouth in fear that they'd dry, as he ascended up. The clouds would part before him, turning into moisture and sticking to him as it made contact with warmth of his skin. The light of the sun would blind him momentarily due to the much closer proximity and clearer view without the clouds to get in between. He'd breathe in the much colder air, and though the abundance of the substance would be much thinner when compared to the amount at ground level, he'd be fine with it, suffering no consequence.

However, when he returned to reality and opened his eyes, he was staring at a tree stump connected to the ground, with countless firewood and small logs on either side. His feet were flat on the hard ground. The only wind caressing his face was that of his own breathing. The only moisture on him wasn't that of a melted cloud, but sweat beading down his body. The sun was still as far away to him as it is to everyone else around, and partially hidden behind some cumulous cloud. The air around him wasn't thin, it was very slightly cool, but by no means was it thin. He would've cursed at himself for trying to force him into a delusion if it Angela hadn't called out to him.

"I apologize, Angela, I don't know what came over me," he lied, still facing away from her. He picked up another log and brought the axe down on it, splitting it into two like much of its kind. Once more, he swiped at the two pieces of firewood with his right foot, pushing them out of the way. He took a deep breath before going back to his task and his conversation. "To answer your question, I do miss the ability to fly, though only at times. And I agree, I am like a bird, but only to the extent of your – everyone's – similarity to birds or any other creature for that matter. We all must do what we can to survive, and unfortunately, to realize our deepest desires as well. For both of those reasons, I sacrificed my wings."

"I can see what you mean by survive," Augus started, standing next to his daughter. Ash turned towards Augus' voice and found a little over a dozen of the villagers, ranging in age, either standing or sitting there, including Augus and Angela; all of them, seemingly enthralled by Ash's explanation. "But what do you mean by 'deepest desires?'"

"Umm… Well," Ash began; slightly overwhelmed by the audience he didn't know he had. He took a deep breath and put the axe down, letting it lean against the nearby wall of a storage building. He cleared his throat and faced his audience. "At the time, and maybe even today, all I wanted to do was to serve one of the daughters of the family I mentioned before. I've always been told that I was born in order to protect a single person, and ever since I met her, I was and still am convinced that she is the person I'm destined to protect."

"If you were telling us the truth, then you met her when you two were just a kid," the blacksmith summarized, crossing his arms across his chest, and narrowing his eyes at his guest with his cat's tail swinging slightly behind him. Augus wasn't one to be untrusting of anyone without good reason, but Ash was someone he couldn't understand too well, and for that he couldn't trust him fully. "You're telling us that you just decided that on the spot? What were you doing trying to be an adult when you were just a kid?"

"The same as a child would desire for sweets, I wanted to protect the smile I saw grace her features," he replied, leaning against the wall, next to the axe, directing his stare at the clear blue sky. In his time in the village, he'd been trying to think of the heiress as little as possible, but here he was now, being forced to do just that. "I'm sure it was because of my time simply viewing the cruelty that both humans and Faunus can inflict upon one another. I was forced to mature and face the reality of the world at an early age in order to survive."

Augus, Angela, any one of the villagers wasn't sure how to respond to such a revelation. Ash could only laugh at their silence, finding their pity and empathy much more humorous than any joke made in the world. After being shown the same expressions from anyone he'd told the story to, he eventually found such pity and empathy pointless, and soon, he only found it funny. He was a fool, he knew that, and there was no job a fool is more suited for than following up a joke with an even funnier joke, no matter how bland the jokes may be. He began to laugh even harder, forcing the attention of the villagers back to him, instead of their pity towards the boy.

"And although here I am, preaching about survival and desire, I couldn't have the two more mixed up," he explained as he came down from the laughter brought on from such a negative form of elation. He'd finally realized the reason why Weiss had been so furious at him. It took him such a long time to finally figure it out, but it was better late than never as they say. "My desire for the longest time may have originated from such an innocent purpose, but it seems that along the way, it's been twisted in to something no longer recognizable. For, the past few years as well as even now, I dream of nothing more than to die protecting her. Such a small value my survival means to me now."

Ash continued to laugh at, what he found to be, the even greater joke even though no one else found it the least bit humorous. There was loneliness in Ash's laughter, something that the villagers quickly picked up on, especially Augus, as he knew the feeling well. The other villagers were at a loss, unable to speak. Their curiosity was in no way the least bit sated, but Ash's story has them tongue tied, more curious of the cruelty he'd seen as a simple kid.

"So why are you here Ash?" Angela asked, much to everyone's surprise. The little girl seemed to be unfazed by the story told. In her perspective, Ash is only acting like the knight to the princess in one of the fairy tales she'd heard her father tell her as bedtime stories. To die for the princess was a natural goal for the knight. "Shouldn't you be with the princess? How can you save her when you're here?"

"Because as of last week, the day before you and I met, she held nothing but hatred towards me," Ash explained as he came down once more with the dark elation that caused him to laugh. Usually when someone comes down from a laugh, they'd retain enough elation from it afterwards for a smile, but the elation seemed to disappear with Ash. "She wanted me to survive no matter, but since we saw differently, she got fed up with me and ordered me to leave her alone. There wasn't much else I could do, and so I left."

When no one else spoke, Ash picked up the axe and began to work again, continuously cutting small logs into firewood at a constant pace. The villagers began to disperse, most of their curiosity about the stranger now gone, going back to what they were doing before after the much-needed break. Only Angela stayed by Ash, watching him work, finding the day too hot to play like she usually would. Several times, she found Ash trying to fly away with imaginary wings, flapping his wings in the process. Every time he'd do so, she'd hear him mutter something under his breath, and by the way he wore a rather deep scowl, she could only assume that it wasn't anything her father would want her to hear.

Several hours later, nearing dusk, Ash was simply sitting down by the porch of the Sterling house with Angela by his side with both. The two weren't engaged in some conversation, but instead, they were watching the villagers end their work for the day, and go back into their house for rest and dinner. Ash learned that it was this time of the day that the village was at its most peaceful. The villagers weren't so busy in doing their part for the better of the village, and the relief plastered on their faces was definitely his favorite part; it reminded him of the students back at Beacon. Be it the Hunters and Huntresses-in-training at the academies or here, everyone was working as hard as they could in the time they were allotted. It definitely was refreshing.

Augus was the last one left working, still in his forge doing Oum knows what. The clang of his hammer being brought down on heated metal resounded throughout the darkening orange dyed sky at a constant rate, almost like a heartbeat. It did seem rather strange. Usually, Augus would refuse to work this far into the day. It was only at rare times, probably once every two years that he would, and it would be with the threat of a Grimm invasion that the village wouldn't be able to hanging about in the air, according to Angela anyway. However, there was no threat of Grimm to talk about, and even if there was, there would be more than one person working in the forge. But having left no choice, both Ash and Angela waited for the blacksmith to complete whatever it was he was working on.

The sun soon fully set and the twilight turned into night, but Augus was still in the forge. Although Angela was starting to get hungry, she enjoyed the peace of the night with the dragon by her side. But when her father still hadn't stopped working, she headed out, telling Ash that she was going to ask the other villagers for at least some bread or fruit for them to stave off their hunger. She ran outside his view, leaving Ash to just stare at the night sky with the stars starting to show themselves clearly without the light pollution of the city. Just as he was about to get lost in his memories of his time in the sky, trouble just had come looking.

"Ash!" he heard Angela's call loudly in the night. He immediately rose from the porch and began to run in the direction, only for her to appear around the corner held on the shoulder by the leader of the three humans he and Angela met nearly a week ago with a kitchen knife against her. "Ash! Help me!"

The other villagers exited their homes and found the human holding the young girl. The other two they'd met before, as well as four more surrounded the leader. The new four looked to be a couple years older than Ash, but no older than twenty. Each of them wore ragged clothes that would be imagined to fit a farmer; only, they looked too clean to be thought that they had been working before. Augus was the last to exit from a shelter, after making sure that his forge doesn't accidently catch on fire.

"Hey, you all, we're only looking for someone, no need to panic," the leader reassured, pushing the knife closer to the young cat Faunus. Angela yelped at the foreign object slightly entering her small body. The black haired leader laughed at the noise Angela emitted, causing his followers to laugh along. He pushed the knife just a little bit further, forcing another yelp from the small girl. "Oh right, the person. He says he's a Faunus like all of you, but he doesn't have anything like an animal would have. He has black hair, black eyes, and he was coming to this village with this girl. Anything?"

Ash stepped into his view, saying nothing, simply walking up to them as calmly as he could. He stopped in his tracks when the human raised the knife from Angela's body to her neck. Angela raised her head, trying to get as far away from the knife as she possibly could. The leader nodded towards Ash and the brown and dirty blonde haired followers walked towards Ash and began to search him for anything that he could use as a weapon. When they found nothing, they went back to their friend and reported their findings.

Once more, the leader nodded towards Ash and all six of his followers made their way to the dragon and began to beat him down to the ground. Ash dared not retaliate in fear that Angela would be hurt if he did. Eventually, the dragon was forced to his knees after ten minutes of constant beating. Out of the corner of his eye, Ash saw Augus disappear back into his forge, without a doubt getting some sort of weapon. The blows he received hurt, but it wasn't enough to fully drain his Aura, maybe ten percent left. With or without Aura, he acted as if they'd beaten him to submission.

The knife was taken away from Angela's neck and she was pushed to the ground, before the leader made his way to Ash. Angela scrambled away, running to the nearest family and hiding behind them. Once the leader got to the congregation of his friends, he kicked the kneeling dragon on the side, decreasing his Aura further but couldn't deplete it. Anyway, Ash faked a cough just as he'd done before, acting as if he had lost his breath from the kick.

"Remember me? I told you we won't forget," he said with a sneer. He began to laugh as he out his foot on Ash's back, pushing him to the ground, dirtying the white shirt he wore. Soon, his followers began to laugh as well, but soon all of them stopped when Ash pushed himself from the ground and began to laugh. "What are you laughing at? What's so funny?!"

He began to stomp on Ash while his friends kicked Ash as much as they could. Nevertheless, Ash stood up with remnants of his laugh staying just to empty his lungs of the remaining air inside. The seven humans took a step back and each of them brought out a knife of their own, looking to settle the score with the Faunus in front of them.

"Name?" Ash simply asked, as he dusted himself off, though the white shirt was already stained with dirt and mud. Hesitantly, the brunette follower opened his mouth to speak and sate the dragon's curiosity, but was stopped by a glare from the dragon. "No, not you. I've no need to know the name of a simple follower. I only need the leader's name. He's the only one beyond reproach. To hold a young girl hostage and even threaten to kill her, not to mention ruin the peace of this night, you're the only one I cannot forgive."

"What would a dirty Faunus like you do with my name?" he asked, brandishing the knife he used to threaten Angela's knife. To him, as long as the knife was in his hand, and as long as he had his followers around with weapons in hand, there was nothing that Ash could do. A grin from ear to ear formed on him, motioning his followers to get ready to attack. "Name's Jackson, sad that you won't ever get to use it. Yours?"

"Ash," the dragon mused, stretching tired muscles and bones in case the seven people in front of him actually puts up a challenge. Their hand to hand was basic, only able to punch or kick in a direction with as much force as they could possibly muster, but he slightly hoped that their knives would make some difference. "My name is Ash Valentine."

"Ash, huh? Well that's good, cause you'll _Ashes_ soon," Jackson joked, his laughter afterwards infecting his friends as they began to laugh. But their laughter was once more stopped when Ash began to laugh too as he found himself missing Yang's puns. "Stop laughing! Kill him!"

Jackson's followers began their attack, slicing at Ash over and over again; only careful as to not accidently hit one another, though a few accidents couldn't be helped. Their attacks were sluggish and amateurish, cherishing power over speed and accuracy. Every single slash was heavily telegraphed, each somehow needing to reel their arm back as far as their body would allow before bringing it down on their target. For ten straight minutes, the seven humans cut the air with their knives, with Ash dodging every single attempt, simply just stepping to the side or jumping back to avoid each strike. In all honesty, he felt more threat with Junior's henchmen than the humans attacking him now.

After being shallowly cut by each other over a dozen times, they stopped for the moment and tried to get back the breath they'd lost, while looking at Ash, completely unarmed, unharmed, and seemingly disappointed. They six followers would attack again, still in tandem, but one at a time, making an attack or two every time they pass by him. On their third pass, Ash decided to attack back.

As the first person ran up to him with knife in both hands, held close to his stomach, telling everyone his intent to stab like some sort of bayonet. As he got closer, he jumped forward, pushing the knife forwards to reach its target as soon as possible. Ash stepped to the side, dodging the blade, allowing it to pass by him before he grabs the human's wrist and squeezed it, forcing him to let go of the knife. As the human kept going forward due to the excess momentum, Ash brought his knee up and forced it to his opponent's stomach, rendering him unable to move. In his peripheral, Ash saw another human running towards him. Ash pushed the near unconscious human to the side and got ready for the next one.

Ash spent the next few minutes repeating the same intents on the remaining followers: disarming then pacifying before moving on to the next one. Needless to say, the longer it took for the next one to attack, the more time the others had recovering from Ash's single counterattack. They moved towards Jackson, and as far away from Ash as they could manage. Eventually, all of them were back with Jackson while their knives made an obtuse pile to the side.

The Faunus would've helped, with some actually running back into their homes to grab some tools, such as pickaxes, shovels, and axes to lend their fellow Faunus a hand, but he never needed it. They were just watching a movie-like performance, with the hero simply playing with lesser soldiers, conserving his energy for the final boss at the end of the movie. After ten more minutes, the humans were panting, trying desperately to get their breath back, frustration growing as Ash just stood there only sweating a little as if he'd just done some light exercise.

Jackson's growing frustration and anger that he and his followers were just being toyed with, would give him a little more energy to attack alone. With a scream of rage, he brought his right arm up and brought the knife down on Ash as fast and as hard as he could. Ash sidestepped to his left and ducked under the knife, forcing his body closer to the human. He grabbed Jackson's right hand with his, and brought his left arm to wrap around Jackson's right forearm before fully grabbing the hand and turning the knife towards its user, making sure to use left his elbow to force the human's elbow to bend. Once Jackson's momentum had come to a full stop, Ash raised his left foot and brought it down lightly on the back of Jackson's right knee, forcing him to the ground and pinning the leg at the knee. Once all movement has stopped, Jackson was on his right knee with his left leg uncomfortable bent at the knee, while Ash held him in place. The tip of Jackson's knife was lightly pressed against the user's throat, with Ash disabling it from moving in any direction. Jackson's back was bent back slightly, as if trying to get away from the knife, completely relying on Ash's support as to not collapse on the ground.

"If you wish to continue this pointless struggle, then I'll gladly end it quickly," Ash threatened, glaring at Jackson, watching his eyes shake and his pupils wane from fear of death. Jackson swallowed dryly, not daring to even nod with the knife against his throat. The dragon let go with his left hand and grabbed the knife by the blade, to which Jackson immediately let the hilt go. The knife was tossed to the side before Ash let Jackson's body hit the ground. "Get out. And if I were to even catch word of any of you threatening _anyone_ , humans and Faunus alike, then we will continue this dance of ours with a less _fortunate_ result. Am I understood?"

The seven humans didn't bother to answer and just ran out of the village as fast as their legs could carry them, going, to what anyone could guess, back to their homes. Ash continued to glare at the direction that the humans ran off towards until he was sure that they were a good bit of distance away before his expression softened to one more mellow and calm. Augus walked up to the dragon, coming back earlier with a sword in hand, but much like the other Faunus, found that Ash never needed the help.

"You sure do know your way around a fight," Augus praised, clapping the boy on the shoulder while his daughter made her way to them with the brightest smile Augus had seen for the past week. Ash only scoffed, almost laughing bitterly at the praise. "What's wrong? You won, you should be happy."

"That wasn't a fight," Ash argued, lowering his eyes while raising his hands to watch them open and close stiffly. Angela hugged her friend as best she could, the difference between their heights making it rather difficult for her to do so. Ash tried to get rid of the negative emotion, but it remained no matter how much he tried. "And if winning means that I attain happiness, then wouldn't that just mean that I'm denying someone theirs? I'm sorry for my negativity Augus, but I just can't seem to rid myself of it."

"You sound like the headmaster of Beacon," Augus admitted, thinking back on the time he'd met Ozpin, before he had hung his sword on the wall, before his wife had died. The meeting wasn't anything special; just another meeting between two strangers while one of them was deathly drunk. "Always trying to take in every blame even though it isn't your fault, never forgiving yourself for doing something wrong. I understand why he's that way. He's old. But you, you're young. Enjoy your life kid. Besides, it's not like anyone got hurt. And we even got a show."

Ash would've continued to argue, but caught eye of sheathed blade Augus was carrying. It was Lava's sword, to what he could guess, completely repaired for use once again. Augus saw his reaction and handed his cargo to the dragon, proud of the work he'd done, satisfying yet another request with his handiwork. The older cat Faunus pulled his daughter away from Ash, so that she would be far away from danger while Ash tested the blade.

Ash pulled the blade out with his right hand and inspected the blade while he held the scabbard with his left hand. The awkwardness caused by the weight immediately appeared. It was light, so light that he was afraid that if he let it go, it would float all the way past the clouds. He knew that it was more than likely the same weight as Jaune Arc's Crocea Mors, but he's far too used to the weight of the Atlas blade he once wielded. He swung the blade a dozen times, cutting the air with the sweet sound that resounded when the it seemed that the sharp edge parted the air it goes through, creating a bit of a vacuum behind it. His slashes were small but precise, with only enough power in each to do very minimal damage even to something without an Aura. Satisfied, Ash replaced the blade back into the scabbard and smiled.

"That's definitely not yours," Augus commented, leaving his daughter and the other still spectating villagers confused. Ash just shook his head and slung the sheathed blade on his back. He gave the blacksmith a look, as if to ask him what gave it away. "Your compensating for the weight every time you swing. You're holding back, just letting gravity do the swinging, and every time you complete one, you wait a little bit. It's like you were trying to match something you did before."

"My sister's sword is far too light for my liking, it feels… lacking. There are times when even the Atlas blade itself feels similar," Ash explained, watching his hands open and close once more as if both were eager to find something familiar and comforting to hold on to so that they could never let go. He breathed out a sigh before turning back to the blacksmith. "Augus, I apologize since it's rather late, but I simply have to make my way back to Vale tonight. Now that her weapon has been repaired, I have to fulfill my promise to her."

"Then let's eat dinner first," the older man offered, knowing that he would not be able to stop Ash from going. Ash gave him a nod and the three of them made their way back to their house, with the other villagers doing the same.

Ash only stayed in the Sterling family house for an hour longer, only enough time to eat and to say his farewell to the two. Angela was reluctant to let him go during the dead of night, but with such little time left before the team missions begin, Ash convinced her that he'll come back immediately after his business is done in Vale. With nothing more than a worn pair of slim straight jeans and a short-sleeved black shirt to protect him from the growing cold, Ash set out with the sheathed blade against his back.

"Angela, go to bed soon, I need to go back to the forge," Augus announced, half an hour after Ash had left their house. His daughter gave him a questioning look, utterly confused by the sudden proclamation. Augus grabbed his sword from its place on the wall and inspected it. The weight was heavier than normal blades like it when it was made. A metal he found one day when he was helping get rid of Grimm when Mountain Glenn had come to be under attack. "I know a way I can keep my promise to your mom forever, and give that Hunter something he call his own."

"Can I help?" Angela asked, jumping up and down as if she somehow regained all the energy she had used up during the day. Augus laughed at her enthusiasm but shook his head. "I don't mean in the forge dad. I wanna make the emblem. You can put it in the middle like the one on his."

"Then we better get to work," he replied, stating the facts in a playful tone. His daughter nodded energetically before running to her room to grab some paper and something to draw with. While she rummaged through her things, Augus called out. "We have maybe two or three days before he comes back. Let's hurry or he might catch us."

* * *

Once more Ash travelling in the dead of night, with only a thin white sleeveless shirt, the small black under armor that hid his wings, a pair of jeans, and rubber shoes as his only protection from the nipping cold of nighttime in Vale. The trek back to the city is unbearably long, and the thought of doing it again going back to the small village was a thought he'd rather not pursue at the moment. However, invigorated by the excitement of fulfilling his promise to his sister, and unlike last time he had some food in his system, giving him the energy to hasten his journey by running. He would've used his semblance as well, if he had the Aura to use as fuel. Simply running the journey would have to be enough

All he knew is that the team missions have already been assigned, but the day of departure is different for each team. He could only hope that Team LAVA has yet to be deployed. He knew that his sister could take care of herself even without her weapon. She had displayed her ability to fight hand to hand against him briefly and even against Grimm when he went into the forest and they had to chase after him. In all honesty, Lava's greatest weapon is the pair of wings on her back. Being hit by them before, Ash knew what she could do with them, and considering the way the Grimm could hardly do a thing when she kidnapped them and dropped them from the sky, the sword may only be for against people or for the sake of having a weapon.

At the same time, half of him hoped that Team RWBY has already been deployed, due to Weiss' orders, but the other half hoped that they were still in Beacon, wanting to at the very least catch a glimpse of them. Either way, whether or not they're present, he'd already decided to deliver Lava's sword back to her personally, instead of going to Junior for their deal. The meeting would give him the chance to explain to Lava his decision to leave, and hopefully help her reconcile with Weiss.

The only one he truly feared meeting was Glynda. Throughout the years ever since they've met, she'd always been a mother figure to him whenever they meet. Even at Beacon she was the one who he could see as a parent and he her son. At first, when they first met, the prospect was simply a joke, but as time went on, it grew to be more. It's that reason that he dreaded meeting her once he steps on Beacon grounds. Out of everyone in Beacon, or maybe in the whole of Remnant, Glynda may be the one who may actually kill him for coming back after leaving the way he did. And considering her semblance, it was completely possible for her to use her semblance to hold him in place like she'd done before.

Another detail that might prove problematic is the numerous new scars that littered his body. Of course, like the scars that he received during the first time he faced off against Grimm, they were now thin pale lines, thanks to his Aura. What Glynda would do if she found out that he very nearly lost his life after trying to take on something he knew he wouldn't be able to defeat. The only positive thing that he could think of about the situation is that he wouldn't be relegated to the confines of the accursed infirmary anymore.

However, before any other outlying factor could be considered, his plan is to sneak his way into Beacon and make his way to the dorm that Team LAVA was temporarily staying in, without rousing the attention of anyone other than Lava herself, or the team as a whole if it can't be helped. That's why after simply six hours of constant running, only a mere hour before the sunrise, he was stunned to meet none other than Jaune Arc at the main avenue near the entrance to the halls of Beacon.


	26. I Can't Do Anything

Jaune and Ash stood just outside of Beacon's main entrance, illuminated only by a light that was already daring to go out. The sky was still pitch black, near invisible clouds gathered to cover the stars from sight, and seemingly trying to push the sun back to ensure that day would never come. Vale in the distance was still bright, brimming with the nighttime lights. The night breeze was cold and whenever it blew by, the leaves of nearby trees would voice out their discomfort of being forced out from their home. Other than that, there wasn't much else to be heard other than the whistling of the wind when it proved to be stronger than usual; a normal occurrence when all, or in this case most, of Beacon is dead asleep.

Beads of sweat ran down Ash's body while he tried to regain his breath back; the two of them just staring at each other as if curiosities in a museum, with Jaune being the most stunned. Jaune was wearing a pair of black sweat pants, somewhat loosely hanging from his legs and waist. His upper body was covered by a loose yellow shirt almost completely veiled by a black hoodie with a tiny insignia of a rabbit that could appear on children's cereal boxes. Similar to Ash, a pair of black rubber shoes covered his feet. Jaune's hair was slightly swept to the side, covering his left eye a tiny bit, and still slightly damp from the shower he took earlier. His blue eyes were slightly darker than they usually were, and an unusual dejected expression was plastered on his face. However, at the sight of Ash, a look of bewilderment seemed to wash over it all.

"Is something the matter Mister Arc?" Ash asked casually, as if nothing had ever even happened, as if the only strange factor of the meeting was that it was only an hour or so before sunrise. Jaune tried to form words, but his bewilderment got the better of him, only leaving him mumbling a few incoherent mumbles. "Mister Arc, I need you to get a grip. Take a few moments to breathe. I'm well aware I shouldn't be here, but as it turns out, this meeting is most fortuitous."

"Ash? You're back at Beacon," Jaune finally said blatantly after a few minutes of simply wrapping the situation around his head. Ash walked up to the blonde and placed his uncovered hands on Jaune's shoulders, the difference in height immediately becoming obvious. "What are you… Weiss. Team RWBY is going on their mission today, but if it's you then I don't think they'd mind waking up early. Come on."

"Mister Arc," Ash called out, gripping the taller boy's shoulders, keeping him in place and not allowing the blonde to drag him to Team RWBY's dorm room. It only took Jaune a moment to realize that doing such a thing wasn't on the boy's agenda whatsoever. He stopped struggling and Ash loosened his grip. "Thank you. Now, would you happen to know as to where Team LAVA's dorm room is? I need to give Miss Lava back her sword."

"Oh Oum, that's right. Your sister's gonna freak when she finds out you're here," Jaune said excitedly, completely forgetting that no one other than Lava, Weiss, and maybe the faculty, is supposed to know about the fact. Ash's grip loosened to the point that Jaune was able to get out simply just by taking a step back. Jaune turned towards the dorm rooms, ready to run, but stopped when he'd realized what he just said. He turned around towards Ash once more and found him looking back with confusion and slight fear evident on his face. "Ash, we all know. We know that you're a Faunus, that you're a dragon, that Lava is your sister. You don't need to keep hiding yourself from us anymore. You're Ash Valentine, and that's who you'll always be to us."

"I appreciate the kind words Mister Arc," Ash replied, albeit a bit restrained, completely unsure of how he really feels about the revelation. The thought of either Weiss or Lava telling others about his identity was something he'd rather not grace any further, especially when they'd told them in his absence and without his knowing. "I do not plan on staying any longer than I truly have to, therefore all of your acceptance towards my identity isn't something I'd be able to fully come to accept. Perhaps with time, I can."

Without saying another word, the two of them began their small walk towards the dorm rooms. Since no one was supposed to be awake at this time, the halls remained dark as to not disturb its inhabitants. The darkness proved a bit difficult for Jaune to maneuver through and was relegated to using his scroll as a light source while Ash's natural ability as a Faunus granted him full vision even in pitch darkness.

Jaune wanted to question Ash about the past week. Where has he been? What has he been doing? What really happened the night he left? How did he feel about it? He had a myriad of questions for the dragon, but none of them managed to be formed into vocal words. Even if he did somehow manage to say them out loud, there wasn't any guarantee that Ash would be willing to answer them. And even if he did answer them, there was no guarantee that his answers wouldn't be lies. He wanted to trust Ash, but with the amount of times he'd seen him lie, it's almost guaranteed that he'd lie about something like the past week.

However, just like Jaune couldn't necessarily trust Ash, at that moment it was the same the other way around. While Ash was distracted with keeping as quiet as possible, looking around to see if anyone was around so that he could avoid them, Jaune discreetly sent a message, telling her exactly where to go due to a sudden emergency. After he completed his task, Jaune looked to Ash who remained completely oblivious to what the blonde just did. Regret began to build up in Jaune minutes later when Ash decided to speak.

"Mister Arc, is there something on your mind?" Ash asked as quietly as he could, though his voice still echoed throughout the dark, quiet halls. The question slightly stunned the leader. After minutes of pure silence, he found it strange to have a conversation suddenly, especially with someone who wasn't supposed to be there. "You're not the type of person to wake up so early in the day for something as trivial as a nightmare. If you would like, we can take some time to see if I can help. It's the least I could do to repay you for your help."

"I've been training with Pyrrha for a long time now, but it doesn't matter how hard I try, I'm not making progress at all," Jaune confided in him, letting his thoughts and frustration become words. His open hands very quickly turned into tight fists and his teeth began to grind against each other, at the confession. He thought back to the training sessions with Pyrrha and whenever he thought he'd finally gotten close, she very quickly proved him wrong. "I know that she's a champion and all, but

I thought that at the very least I could do something, and maybe even stand a chance. It's not just Pyrrha either it's everyone. Even Cardin, I thought that maybe I'd stand a chance against him, but he always wipes the floor with me."

"Forgive my assumption, but you seem to equate real life to a video game," Ash accused, earning him the leader's attention and curiosity. Ash let out a sigh, when he remembered a time when he thought the exact same thing. He stopped walking and leaned back against a nearby wall, forcing Jaune to do the same and take a position next to him. "There's no such thing as a progress bar that needs to filled up. There's no such thing as leveling up. Whereas in a game, the hero always seems to be getting stronger at every waking moment, if we were to translate the equivalence in progress in real life, it could take months of constant training. As you started late, you're simply playing catch up to the rest."

"So, you're saying that I'll always be behind everyone?" Jaune asked, slowly being drowned in his own self-pity. He slid down the wall, till he was sat down. He'd always thought the same but never wanted to admit it, that's why it was a shock to him to hear from someone else. "You know, I always thought that I was weaker than the rest, I mean, I did sneak my way into Beacon. Guess it wasn't just me who noticed huh?"

Almost immediately, Ash was in front of him, raised his right knee and forced his head up by hitting Jaune's chin with it. When his head was up, Ash grabbed him by the neck and forced him to stand up and seemingly further against the wall. Needless to say, Jaune was stunned by the dragon's actions – that and the knee to the chin definitely made his brain shake in his skull. The look Ash was giving him was one that confused the blonde. It was as if Ash was glaring at him with spite, but at the same time that spite wasn't there – like it never even existed. That glare dared him to say anything back, but just like much of Team RWBY's glares, it silenced him.

"If you dare say something of the sort again, then I shall hit you once more," Ash threatened, his glare telling Jaune all he needed to know that he wasn't joking around. He nodded furiously, agreeing with anything just to get out of the situation. Ash retracted his hand from the blonde's neck and took a single step back. "You may be unable to defeat someone like Mister Winchester, but that is just for this current moment in time. You are still capable of growing stronger, maybe even far more than anyone in Beacon. Also, if you say that you are 'weaker than the rest' then what does that make me? Someone who nearly lost his life against Grimm on several accounts."

"There's a difference between us Ash," Jaune argued, very quickly earning him another strange glare from Ash. He swallowed dryly before he spoke again, hoping that he won't say anything to trigger the dragon to attack him again. "You're already trained, you already know what you're doing, and you just need to—"

"The difference between us is numerous," the dragon interrupted, raising his voice over the blonde's, seemingly no longer caring about the fact that they need to be quiet. "You are human, while I am a Faunus. You have blue eyes, while mine are black. You are you, and I am me. I can continue this list for as long as it takes Mister Arc. But in terms of combat potential, you, I, Miss Nikos, Miss Schnee, Miss Goodwitch, _everyone_ , we are all the same. We are all still improving, will continue to do so till the day we die."

"Let's go give your sister back her sword," Jaune smiled, albeit a bit sorrowful. Without waiting for an answer from the dragon, Jaune began to walk towards the Team LAVA dorm room once more. Ash followed him almost mindlessly, making sure to keep a note at the back of his mind, to continue the conversation with the blonde at a later time.

With Ash behind him, Jaune smiled victoriously, both happy that he was able to get Ash's opinion on his predicament, as well as succeeding in buying some time for the recipient of the message he sent earlier to get to their destination before them. He knew that he would more than likely become the object of Ash's hatred and enmity once he sees her waiting for him in Team LAVA's dorm room, but there's no way he could resist the temptation of helping people make up, especially if both were his friends. His only hope is that sometime down the road, Ash would be able to find it in himself to forgive him for his small treachery at the time.

In mere minutes of utter silence between the two, they found themselves in front of Team LAVA temporary dorm room. Jaune stepped to the side allowing Ash to be the one to knock on the door himself, considering he was the one who had business with the team. He knocked three times and waited in anticipation for the door to open, and much to Ash's surprise, it wasn't any of the members of Team LAVA that opened the door, but Glynda Goodwitch.

Glynda was dressed the way she usually was, a long sleeved pleated top with gauntlet cuffs and a keyhole neckline that looked menacing with her arms crossed in front of her chest. The black pencil skirt she had donned was nearly invisible in the dark lighting, with only the bronze buttons on it ensuring that she was more than just a floating upper body. Her light blonde hair was shining in the tiny bit of moonlight that flooded the room. Her green eyes were glaring at the Ash with her glasses somehow giving her a much more threatening look than her usual strict stoic teacher act.

Behind her was the entirety of Team LAVA, awake and slightly displeasured with the fact that they were woken up early, but the feeling was immediately replaced with shock at the sight of the male Valentine at the door. Lava almost immediately got up from her bed, wide eyed. She would've run to her brother, but the professor currently blocking her from him, had basically called first dibs. Aaron was half analyzing and half glaring at Ash, trying to figure out with a drowsy mind why Ash was there when he was supposed to be back at Atlas with Winter. Aiden was the second to the most awake – with Lava being the first – simply happy to see the pure elation on his leader though was confused to the actual reason why. Valora, the poor girl, was the least awake. She was rocking back and forth on her bed as if she was drunk with an eye mask, completely unaware of what's happening

"Glynda, what are you doing here?" Ash asked in complete disbelief, unable to determine whether it was fear or joy that was overwhelming his body. A part of him wanted to see Glynda, to apologize for what happened, but the fear of her reprehension fought that joy back.

"Jaune told me to come here," she answered, nodding towards the blonde behind Ash. The dragon turned and looked back at Jaune with an expression of betrayal, but the leader held his composure, convinced that what he did was right. He thought about contacting Weiss as well, but he wasn't so sure if Ash would ever forgive him if both Glynda and Weiss showed up unexpectedly. "He was rather vague about the reason why I needed to come here, but now I see what he meant by 'a sudden emergency.'"

"I'm only here to give back this sword, I'll be sure to leave immediately," Ash argued, only to receive stinging slap on the cheek from the professor. Ash and the five students were shocked at the action, and when Ash managed to recover enough for him to look back at the professor, she looked more than ready to deliver another one. "I'm sorry for leaving the way I did, for not giving anyone much of a choice, but please understand that my decision to leave was my own volition. It was my decision as an adult to leave."

"You are only seventeen years old!" Glynda countered, raising her voice in frustration, momentarily not caring that she may have woken up some of her students in other rooms. She pulled the dragon inside and motioned for Jaune to join them, having him close the door, before she continued. "Professor Ozpin once told me to allow you all to enjoy your youth, but here you are telling me that you don't need such a thing."

"It's something I've been doing ever since I was young, so yes, I don't need such a thing," Ash argued back, growing a little frustration himself. Glynda raised her hand again to strike him again, but put it down slowly almost immediately afterwards. "You're free to do so. I give you permission. If anything, you deserve it."

Before anyone could say anything back to him, Lava strode over to the two of them and struck her brother on the cheek with an open palm. Once more Ash's face was forced to the side while everyone else, especially Glynda, was stunned. Ash looked back to his sister, equally stunned, only to receive another slap on the other cheek. Ash recovered faster this time, turning to his sister once more, ready to dodge if she decides to strike him again. Fortunately, she was through hitting him and was satisfied with just glaring at him.

"If she deserves it, then I do too right?" Lava dared her brother to deny her the claim, but got nothing but silence from him. She was angry. Not only did she not get a notice, unlike Glynda who was there when he disappeared, but he also just threatened to just leave again right after. "The first one was for making me worry for over a decade. The second one is for leaving me again without at the very least saying goodbye to me."

"Wait what are you—" Aaron tried to intervene, but there was no way Lava would allow him to interfere between her and her brother.

"Yes, Aaron. He's a dragon like me. He's my brother. He had his wings cut a long time ago. Ash Valentine is actually Vargas Valentine. Are you happy now?" Lava very nearly screamed the revelation accompanying it with a glare at the wolf, successfully and efficiently silencing her partner. She couldn't care less about her reasons on hiding the fact from her teammates anymore. She turned back to Ash, keeping her. "And Vargas, now that I have you back, you think I'm just gonna let you go? Just let you give me my sword back and watch you walk away without even bothering to turn back? I have half a mind telling me to put you in a collar and leash, and leave you tied up to my bed."

"Livia, I'm not giving you a choice in the matter," Ash threatened, glaring back at his sister. He'd imagined his second reunion with her, but not an argument was something he had never even considered. She had the right to be angry, but he had an equal right to choose for himself. "I'm not giving _anyone_ a choice in the matter. Think of me as simply a messenger in the situation. After my business is done here, then I will leave again."

"What about Weiss?" Lava asked, looking him over for any reaction, ready to hit him again if she finds a reaction that she found to be opposite of what he says. He already looked exhausted so she doubted he'd be able to leave immediately, but she wouldn't put it past him to try nevertheless. "Are you just gonna leave without even seeing her? Without even checking up on her to see if she's all right?"

"That is exactly what I plan to do," Ash admitted rather bitterly, fighting his desire to do just as his sister said. Lava noticed the slight hesitation and raised her hand once more and brought it across Ash's cheek. Ash resisted the force, and when her hand left his cheek, he very nearly attacked her back. "Livia! Would you stop hitting me?! Miss Schnee is more than capable of taking care of herself. I don't need to check on her to figure out something that I already know."

"She's been helplessly watching you die in her dreams for the past week!" Lava screamed without a doubt waking people in the next rooms, as well as fully rousing Valora as she ripped her eye mask off, staring wide eyed at the spectacle before her. When Ash wasn't saying anything, Lava's frustration reached its peak. "Why aren't you saying anything now, huh? Tell me, what do you know? What do you think she's capable of? She's slowly breaking down and you think you know everything about her? If you're really gonna leave, then do it after you go see her."

"She's asked me to never appear before her again!" Ash argued back, fully knowing that the argument presented was weak. He knew that she was successfully pushing him into a corner that he cannot escape from, and that she had her team, Glynda, and Jaune to help. Lava glared at him as if expecting something else. Trapped in a room filled with people who're against him, there wasn't much else he could do. "What would you have me do? Disobey her? Tell her that I _will_ look away when she's in trouble and live on for myself? Knock on their door with a full course breakfast and beg them for their forgiveness?"

"YES!" Glynda yelled at the top of her lungs, done with keeping her frustration in check. If there were any students left that were still asleep, or those who tried to go back to it, none were left after Glynda's exclamation. "She only said those things because your damned desire ends in your death. What if she wants to have you there in the future?"

"And you think I don't want the same?" Ash argued back with restrained hostility, daring anyone to go against him. He knew that all that he'd said and done before, including outright saying it, all pointed to the assumption that all he wanted was to die protecting her, but he never knew that no one, not even him, ever guessed the assumption that he wanted to stay with her as well. "You think that I want to leave her side even for a moment. You think that I want her to suffer the same FUCKING FEELING that I felt when I lost my mother?! Even though I want to go to her, I can't do anything! If I stay by her now, I'll just end hurting her again and again and again!"

No one said anything, slightly overwhelmed at Ash's anger and frustration that slowly broke down his usual formal speech. Unconsciously, Ash began to emit a large amount of red smoke from his body. He felt threatened by the people around him, as if they were plotting to hold him down like some rabid animal and put him down for good, but his semblance would ensure him that he'd go down fighting. Aaron, Valora, and Aiden, if they weren't fully awake before, they were surely awake now, ready to fight to the best of their ability against someone who, with his semblance pouring out of his body, is far stronger than their leader and can only get stronger the more they push him to sacrifice more. Luckily, the situation defused to a more manageable one.

"You know what? Forget it. I'm done here," Ash's semblance deactivated as he removed Lava's sword from his back and just tossed it to the side, listening to it clatter on the ground. He turned around and found Jaune between him and the door. Telling Glynda that he was back at Beacon when he wanted to avoid the situation, definitely listed Jaune on Ash's temporary group of enemies, along with the others in the room with them. "Mister Arc, get the hell out of my way or I'll use you to break that damned door down. I have a good enough reason to do that now."

The blonde leader stepped to the side and allowed Ash through the door, slamming it close on the way out, leaving the six people to think about the enemy they'd made that moment. Jaune swallowed dryly at the memory of Ash glaring at him before he left. His glare was filled with disappointment and anger, something that he expected to see when he chose to tell Glynda, but expected or not, it was unsettling, like he truly was in danger. It was a glare that he wouldn't ever forget: the glare of a trapped animal. He looked over to Glynda and Lava, both too stunned or confused to speak, even the rest of Team LAVA looked like they were filled with questions, but out of respect for their leader, didn't let those questions surface as words. He brought his scroll out of his pocket and stared at the screen where an equally confused Ruby Rose was currently displayed.

He'd called her earlier, before the argument even started, and asked her to be silent immediately after she appeared on the screen. At first, she was angry and annoyed at her friend, being forced to leave her bed and dorm room to outside in the halls to complain about being woken up so early in the morning, but immediately understood the situation when she heard Ash's voice. She wanted to wake Weiss up, but a simple headshake 'no' was enough to convince her. There was still no telling what might happen if the two met again, even through a scroll.

"Ruby, I know you guys are going to Mountain Glenn this afternoon, but we have to find Ash," Jaune implored the young girl, receiving an agreeing nod from her. He looked over to Glynda and Team LAVA and found them all wearing an expression of slight unease, and with Glynda and Lava both sharing the same look of guilt. "Ruby and I are gonna look for him. Maybe we can calm him down and reason with him… That is if he hasn't left already. I doubt we'll be able to do a lot, but at least we can try."

"I'll go tell Professor Ozpin that he's here, or he was here," Glynda said with a sigh, dreading the fact that she'd have to wake her fellow professor just in case Ash decided to stay long enough for him to reach a conclusion of what to do. She looked at Lava and found her guilt clearly plastered on her face. She placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "He won't fault us for stating our opinions. It's just built up frustration. Give him some time, he is still just a teenager."

They turned to the sound of the dorm room door, shutting close and found Jaune already gone in search of Ash. Glynda left soon after, her guilt and sorrow of the situation evidently in view of anyone who even sees her in their peripheral. Lava picked up the sword that her brother delivered and went back to her bed with her team just watching her. She pulled the sword from the scabbard and examined the repairs. It looked to be brand new. The blade that was once in two didn't even have a scar of where it once broke and was shining like it had just been recently polished. If she were told that it was just a replacement and he had gotten it by delivery from Mistral, then she more than likely would've believed it.

She looked outside and the sun was still nowhere in sight. She placed the sword back into its scabbard and lied back down on her bed with her weapon. With her wings in the way, she wasn't able to lie down on her back and was relegated to lying down on her side. She hugged her weapon as if it was a teddy bear or another person, her chest feeling tighter as she found the scabbard still warm from her brother's back. It was with that warmth that she soon fell fast asleep.

* * *

Ruby got dressed out of her rose themed sleepwear and into a pair of black sweats and a plan white sweatshirt, hoping that it would be enough to ward off the cold as she and Jaune looked for Ash within Beacon grounds. Before she left the room, she turned to the sound she'd gotten used to in the past week. Her partner squirmed slightly in her bed as she was assaulted by another nightmare. She was slightly sweating and moaning something incoherently, as if whatever it was could snap her out of that dream and back into reality. Her blanket was completely off of her, laying in a crumpled lump on the floor like so many other mornings before. She wished she knew a way to help her friend, but gave up when she couldn't even wake her when it all began. She left the room as quietly as she could, headed to the front of the school to meet with Jaune.

Out of worry for her friend, Ruby had been keeping an eye on her even during classes, when she'd usually either sleep or read another volume of X-ray and Vav comic along with Jaune. While Weiss, who was usually studious and even tries her best to stay awake during one of Professor Port's stories, was now more drowsy or asleep in the classes. Her head would continuously drop down only to rise back up immediately, before repeating the process again and again. On times she would completely fall asleep, she'd be inaudibly murmuring something, and when she'd wake up, she'd have the reddest eyes, as if she hadn't slept in weeks.

Ruby was no stranger to nightmares, but she'd never had reoccurring nightmares every time she fell asleep for a week. The idea reminded her of Ash's meditation. In both cases, the individual was difficult to wake up, and depending on what they were seeing, albeit a dream or a memory, they'd be saying something. Unfortunately, in both cases, once the individual had finally awoken, they could be in worse shape that when they were last awake. And in both cases one of them could be seeing the other in the dream, memory, or nightmare.

She heard it a couple nights before. A juice drinking competition with both Jaune and Nora turned out to be the worst idea as she had woken up in the dead of night to use the bathroom with an upset bladder. When she came back out, she could hear her partner having yet another nightmare. She'd been mumbling incoherently except for one time that night: _Ash, don't die on me._

When she managed to gather the courage to ask what her dreams were about much later on, she was only met with the vague answer: _It was just a nightmare._ Of course, she didn't believe it, both parties knew that, but nevertheless it was quickly dismissed for the moment. Ruby would ask two more times afterwards, and on the latest time, she actually told her more than just 'It's nothing.' After successfully waking her up in the middle of one nightmare, one morning, she responded with: _I saw someone important to me die._ She never mentioned who the person was, hoping that she would be able to leave Ruby guessing that the person was Winter, but Ruby knew better. Ruby didn't ask who the person was, much to Weiss' relief, only hoping that Weiss' reoccurring nightmares would stop when they eventually find Ash, but that would be after their mission to Mountain Glenn. She could only hope that Weiss would be all right for it.

She reached the entrance and found Jaune standing there with an unopened water bottle in hand, but what she found strange wasn't the tiny logo of a rabbit on Jaune's hoodie, but the fact that Ash was right there with him. He was sitting on the ground propped against a wall with his legs stretched out in front of him, looking rather uncomfortably, seemingly asleep with his head down. Sweat was evident on his forehead, neck, and arms despite the cold air that surrounded Beacon, as if he had just ran for miles on end.

Jaune took notice of her and turned to her with a restrained smile before directing his gaze back at the dragon on the ground. She soon stood beside her fellow leader, staring at Ash as well.

"So you told her too," Ash said with his gaze remaining directed at the ground below him, his voice was rather strained from the position; it sounded angry, and most evident of all, completely tired. Jaune nodded once even though he knew that Ash couldn't see him. "Who else have you told? Who else is looking for me?"

"Miss Goodwitch is on her way to tell Professor Ozpin," Jaune explained, feeling sorry for the dragon. He couldn't think of much else to make the day worse for his runaway friend, other than having Weiss with them at that moment, that being the main reason why he didn't want Ruby to wake her partner up. "Other than that, there's no one else. We could've told Weiss too, but we wanted to know what you think first."

"Haven't I already told you?" Ash countered, his voice grew more angry than tired for that moment, but reverted back to a more tired state, with the anger seemingly dissipated into thin air. In the end, he would give up and explain for Ruby's sake. "I want to stay with her, if that wasn't obvious enough to begin with. No one really, ever, wants to die. But in the end, if only one of us must die, then I will do my damned best to ensure that is her who lives. Other than that, I want to see the future with her, even if it's only as a servant."

"What do you mean by that?" Ruby asked, though she already knew what the answer was. She remembered to the first night after they all first met Ash, Weiss' most recent birthday. She had thought that she'd only dreamt it, but now she knew different.

"You're no longer a child, Miss Rose," Ash said, nearly laughing, though admittedly bitter and regretful. He finally raised his head and looked at her. His gaze was dark. His sclera was red and his black irises and pupils seemed more prominent as it prodded her silver eyes to reach her soul, as if seeking a challenge. "I'm sure you both already know. I'm sure that _everyone_ already knows. I adore her so much more than I ever should. I AM IN LOVE WITH WEISS SCHNEE!"

The proclamation echoed throughout the early morning sky, as if an alarm for the dawn, the sun peeked out from the horizon, gracing the continent of Vale with the first few moments of the twilight. There wasn't much either leader could say at that moment. They both were able to guess as much before, but it was only at that time when the fact became something that was surreal, and both had to wonder how the heiress would react if she'd heard it.

"Are the two of you happy now?" he asked spitefully with teeth, fangs and all, bared at the two in front of him. Once more, Jaune saw him as a trapped animal, only much more vicious than before, as if he would tear out their throats if they pushed him any further than they already have, if it was even possible at all. "After all this time, you've finally heard the truth. Now the two of you can be rest assured that all I've done for her branches from that fact! Oh joy to the damned world!"

Ash breathed in deep, trying regain any breath he lost from the unneeded explanation. He pushed himself up from the ground and began his long walk back to the village with the Sterling's, only to be blocked by Ruby, who activated her semblance to get in front of him. She was glaring at him as best she could, but her innocence worked against her; at best, her glare could unnerve a puppy for a few moments before it began to lick her hand.

"Then before you go, at least see Weiss one time, please," she pleaded, her glare very quickly turning into a soft stare, begging for her request to be fulfilled. When Ash made no notion of accepting and only tried to push past her, she got in his way again with her arms stretched out to her sides, as if it would help guard his way. "She keeps having nightmares, about you. I don't know what she's seeing exactly, but she's just watching you die. She hasn't been herself lately because of it."

"And what do you want me to do about it?" Ash asked, already in the process of taking of his shirt to show the two that Weiss' dreams and real life aren't that much different at all. Ruby was rather uncomfortable about seeing someone who isn't family with their top off, but in this case, she couldn't look away. Pale lines littered Ash body. Even with the small undershirt he wore to hide his wings, anyone could easily tell that the number of fresh scars are in copious amounts. "Wouldn't you know it, I very nearly lost my life the day after I left Beacon. Six Beowolves and two Ursai, I only managed to kill one Beowolf and put up a failure of a fight for a minute before they managed to do this to me. I'm only alive now because of a few people managed to save me, and even then, even after they had managed to close my wounds, I was still at Death's door."

"But it doesn't change the fact that you're alive now," Jaune countered as Ash put the white shirt back on. Usually, Jaune wouldn't even try to argue with Ash due to the difference in ability to lie, but he was more confident, especially when Ash seemed to be breaking down, overwhelmed by exhaustion and frustration. "She can barely stay awake in classes anymore because she can't get a lot of sleep, and later today they're all going to Mountain Glenn, what do you think could happen if she can't stay awake there?"

Ash let out a sigh before walking up to the blonde. He shot him a glare for a moment before he snatched the water bottle from his hand and entering Beacon once more. Ruby flashed a thankful smile at Jaune before the two of them followed their friend. In the few minutes that it took them to get to the dorms, Ash had already finished the bottled water, now looking for a bin to dispose of it. He passed by the Team RWBY dorm room, causing a bit of confusion in Ruby and Jaune. As quietly as he could, he broke the tumbler and entered the room that was once his.

The room hasn't changed much ever since he left; actually it hasn't changed at all. The windows and curtains were still closed; he figured his clothes were still in the closet and drawers; even the hoodie he left on the bed was still there, gathering dust.

He seemingly ignored everything else and headed to one of the drawers, pulling out a notebook that remained mostly blank in his time at Beacon. He found a pen and went to the study desk, sitting down on it to begin writing. He stopped writing for a second, feeling two sets of breathing on his shoulders, he cleared his throat once and the two pulled back from their position and allowed their friend to write in peace. Five minutes later, he stood up once more and searched the drawers, pulling out his usual pair of gloves. He went back to the desk once more and folded the piece of paper into a paper airplane. He stood up with the paper plane and paired gloves in hand and headed out the door along with the two leaders.

They made their way to the Team RWBY dorm room, and Ruby allowed Ash in. The dragon went up to the heiress, who was still squirming in her sleep, suffering through nightmares, which she can't control. He kneeled down in front of her, brushed his hand against her left cheek, slightly sticky with sweat, and let out a dreary sigh.

"Miss Schnee," Ash called out in a whisper as he tried to wake her up with light shakes on her shoulder. She didn't wake up, but let out a moan and shook his hand off. At first, he assumed that she was better now, but her brows crunched together and sweat still beading down her cheeks said otherwise. "Don't make me do something I might regret. Just wake up already."

"I tried waking her up before, but she wouldn't," Ruby told him simply watching him try his best to relieve the heiress from her nightmares. Ash hummed in thought, taking in the new piece of information into account. "It's kinda like you when you were meditating."

"Damn you, Schnee, tempting me this far," Ash muttered out loud before leaning down to embrace the girl as best he could, getting in close to her left ear as his position would allow him. There, he whispered in her ear, so that only she would be able to hear him, even though she was in deep slumber, "It's all right, Weiss. Don't be afraid. Come find me after you return. I'll prove to you that you will never have to worry about me. I'll defeat any Grimm set before me. And I'll show you what you truly mean to me. Please, don't keep me waiting."

He pulled back and found the white haired girl, no longer squirming, no longer worried, no longer afraid. He smiled and took her hands in his; carefully placing them in the black gloves he used to wear. Once done, he took the paper airplane and placed it in front of her, by her pillow, so that when she finally wakes, it'd be the first thing she sees. He stood up and turned to the two leaders, having successfully fulfilled the request presented to him. They smiled at him, silently thanking him for doing what he did. The three of them quietly snuck out of the room and closed the door shut, to ensure that the rest of Team RWBY wouldn't accidently wake up should they hear them.

"Thanks Ash," Ruby was first to speak, only receiving a nod from Ash in return. The dragon's scowl from Beacon's entrance returned, seemingly displeased that he was forced to disobey the heiress' final words to him so early. "We'll let Weiss sleep in. Oum knows she deserves the good sleep."

"I didn't do it for free Miss Rose," he replied, directing his attention back to the blonde. The actions left the leaders confused, and unnerved Jaune. They all knew about Ash's ability to make deals with shady people like Junior, that's why when he expected some sort of payment it would be something none of them could refuse. "Mister Arc, when will your team be deployed for your mission?"

"In a couple days, why?" Jaune answered, more confused to what the dragon had planned.

"Well isn't that a pleasant thing to hear," Ash said mischievously. A small and victorious grin along with an unnerving glare formed on his face making it seem like a hero turned villain in some fantasy. Jaune took a step back, barely able to guess what Ash wanted. "As payment, for today and for tomorrow, or rather, until you and your team have been deployed to your mission, I will be your training partner instead of Miss Nikos. Of course, you'd have to be the one to tell her."

"Wait, what? What's that going to—" Jaune tried to argue, but was quickly interrupted by the dragon.

"Weren't you the one that said you hardly feel like you've been improving?" Ash asked for obvious clarification. Jaune nodded slowly, now finding the cornered animal, cornering him instead. "That may be because you've gotten used to Miss Nikos' fighting capability. It'll do you good to go up against someone else with a different fighting style. And you'd best prepare yourself Mister Arc, since this will be training for me as well, I might not hold back."


	27. Kill One And Save The Other

Once more, Weiss finds herself in another nightmare. However, unlike any other nightmare she'd had before, this one was strange in the way that Ash wasn't already dead or was trapped in an unwinnable situation. No, in front of her were two figures. On her left was Ash as she'd seen him before. He wore his formal wear from when he was her servant. His suit was perfectly clean with hardly even a wrinkle on it. The shirt he wore underneath was blindingly white. The tie he usually wore was strangely loose – something that he'd always complain about in secret, about it being too tight to breathe properly. His trousers remained unwrinkled as well, only proving that he'd just been standing there as straight as his spine would allow him. And to complete it all, he wore the formal shoes that came with the outfit. Behind him was the sheathed sword he'd received from her sister, as well as the bracer that came along with it. Around his hands was the pair of metal gloves that would always be there whenever he would enter combat.

On her right was Ash as well, with a more informal look. He wore a black, zip up hoodie with, what she could assume, the Schnee family symbol on the back. It was zipped up half way through, allowing her to see the plain red shirt underneath. He wore jeans to cover his lower half. All of these, already slightly wrinkled, though she remained unsure whether or not he'd been standing there much like the other one and the clothes were normally like that, or if he'd been somewhere else. Also unlike the other Ash, he wore rubber shoes that looked to be much more comfortable. However, like the other Ash, he had the same gear strapped to his body, ready to fight whatever it was he was faced off against. But the main difference between the two was the two large, black, bat-like wings that protruded from the back of the Ash on her right.

The two of them looked to Weiss with smiles as if nothing was wrong and that the other didn't even exist. Her left arm began to rise by itself and once it came to view, she found that it was clutching a pistol tightly, as if her life depended on that firearm. The gun was weightless and was pointed directly in between the two people in front of her, simply hovering there, never tiring.

 _Kill one and save the other,_ a voice rang out throughout the blanketed white dream. It was the voice of a mature young woman, sweet and soft, serious, but caring, but most of all, familiar. After some thought, she remembered the voice. But before, she was desperately yelling to try and save her son from the hands of humans, now here she was now telling a human to kill a version of her son. _Much like any other choice, if you refuse to choose, then a choice will be made for you. And much like other choices, if you are not quick, then you will lose both._

The firearm in her hand suddenly gained back its usual weight, and she was forced to support with her own strength instead of some divine intervention. The pistol was heavy and before she even knew it, her arm began to move as if it had mind of its own. It pointed the gun at the Ash without his wings, and her finger began to slowly and shakily put pressure on the trigger before coming to a complete stop before the hammer actually strikes the bullet and ignites the gunpowder or Dust inside.

 _Will you kill Ash Valentine, the one that's been with you all this time, the one that hides his true nature to the world? A simple fake,_ the voice continued, completely devoid of all emotion, as if uncaring that it was her son that she's telling Weiss to kill. Weiss' left hand panned to the right, once more like it had a mind of its own, and pointed the gun at the Ash with his wings. _Or will you kill Vargas Valentine, the true nature of the one you cherish? Both are one and the same, but could not be anymore different from each other. Kill one and save the other._

"Why can't I save both?" Weiss managed to ask, her own voice echoing in the blank dream. She waited rather anxiously for a response as she looked around hoping to catch a glimpse of Ash's mother somewhere, maybe ask her for the reason why she had to choose in person. She continued to look for the woman, while stealing glances at the two Ash's, dreading to find out what she meant by a choice being made for her, or the possibility of losing both.

While she was looking towards the two Ash's, they turned away from her and faced each other, very quickly losing the smile that they showed her, only to be replaced with a deep scowl as they just stared each other down. Before Weiss could even react to the new situation, the two began to run to each other, throwing a straight right when they could. The two fists collided, the metal of each glove groaning at the force exerted. The winged was the first to pull back, only pulling back a tiny bit before just bending the elbow and spinning, slamming his left wing against the wingless' body. The blow was exerted in a large area, proving nothing more than just a simple push.

The wingless stumbled a few steps before recovering, using the leftover momentum from the push to spin and bring a kick to the exposed temple of the winged. The winged stumbled a little, the blow proving to only give the two some distance from each other. Once more, they rushed each other, throwing blows at each other, both more careful than before. Each strike was deflected, blocked, or met, until the two jumped back from each other slightly panting and shaking their tired arms.

The wingless was the one to restart the skirmish, rushing in, keeping low to the ground, catching the winged off guard, and striking the exposed side, without a doubt damaging the liver and ribs. Though in pain, the winged curled his right hand into a fist and brought it down on the back of the wingless' head, before grabbing it, and crashing his knee against the nose. Once more, the two retracted from each other, both hurt, but tried to recover as fast as they could, ready for another clash.

Since both were the same person, they share the same knowledge of the body's weakness as well as counters against any blow thrown by the other. Whenever one would get a clean hit in, the other would more than likely be prepared with something that would do something of equal damage if not more. It's something that she's never seen before, a person specializing in counters and disarms dealing with another, especially since the other was someone of a complete replica. She still held the pistol in her left hand, outstretched towards the two as if tracking them wherever they went.

She tried to yell at them to stop, to order them to stop even though she knew she no longer had the right, but nothing came out. She tried twice more only to end in failure, unable to use her voice anymore. When the two clashed again in a flurry of small attacks met by small attacks, counters met with counters, weak points were struck, they pushed each other around, punching, kicking, and a single time when their foreheads clashed violently against one another, she began to lose hope, and the woman began to laugh.

 _Choose or a choice will be chosen for you,_ the disembodied voice of the woman told her once again in between laughter. Weiss felt her left hand squeeze the firearm some more. She wasn't very well versed with firearms, but she felt her heart drop when a bullet flew the air and grazed the left cheek of the wingless Ash before being mitigated. He looked to her for a moment in shock, being taken away from the fight for a second, only to go back in when he received a hard blow to the same cheek by the other Ash. _So you choose to kill Ash Valentine. So you choose to kill the fake._

"I didn't choose anything!" Weiss yelled in response, her voice working once more. She regained control of her left hand and threw the firearm as far as away from her as possible. Her left hand shook though she couldn't tell if it was from the unfamiliar recoil of a gun or from guilt. "And he's not a fake! He's Ash Valentine! My life long friend! He IS real!"

 _And yet you shot him,_ the voice argued, laughing at the predicament the heiress found herself in. Weiss tried to argue, but it was only the truth. She was forced to shoot, but she was, nevertheless, the one who pulled the trigger. _You say he's real, but you know better. Ash Valentine is nothing more than a mask. A mask he himself created when he decided to live as a human. But no matter what he does, he will forever be my son. He will forever be a dragon. If he hadn't met you, he'd still have his wings, he'd still be able to fly._

Weiss made the mistake to look back at the two Ash's trapped in combat. It was now completely one sided, with the wingless one no longer attacking back, only barely blocking attacks. He just let the winged one pummel him with a combination of light and heavy attacks, eventually drawing blood from a cut on his upper lip when his Aura had finally run out.

"Fight back!" Weiss yelled at the two Ash's. In that moment, the wingless Ash pushed back against the winged, delivering a crushing counterattack to the chin and temple. The attack heavily stunned the winged as his guard dropped all together, wiping it from the face of the world. Weiss smiled for a moment before it disappeared when the wingless stopped attacking again and dropped almost all guard.

 _You've already killed him. Why are you even trying to urge him on? Do you just want to watch him struggle futilely? You're a cruel one,_ the voice mocked her continuing to laugh at her problem. Weiss looked around desperately, trying to find the gun she'd tossed away earlier. She found it, quickly picked it up, and trained it on the winged Ash, but when she squeezed the trigger, it only clicked. _You've already made a choice. There is no going back now, or maybe you do want to lose both._

Weiss couldn't respond, hope very rapidly leaving her, as she was once more helpless, simply watching some unfair situation she found her friend in. She wanted more than anything to help the wingless, save him, or at the very least encourage him to fight back. Even without Aura, she wanted to believe that he would still be able to do something about the situation. Something she's noticed from the beating is that the winged one is somewhat slower than Ash would usually fight.

Whenever he'd throw a punch, she was able to easily follow it and predict its target and trajectory, whereas normally it would be much more unpredictable. She watched his body for every single movement, either made or wasted, and after minutes of scrutinizing every inch for a cause, she found it.

"His wings! His wings make him slower!" she yelled, thankful that her voice worked at that moment. Both Ash's stopped for that moment and looked over to her. The wingless was confused as to why she was helping him. While the winged looked to her betrayed, wondering the same thing. "Please fight back!"

The wingless took the plea as an order, once more delivering a stunning uppercut to the chin of the winged. The blow forced him into the air and pushed him back; creating some much needed distance between the two. Weiss looked away for a second, finding it distracting to keep the two in view, and began to think of some way to force the two to stop, wanting to prove the voice wrong and save both instead of just one. She paused her train of thought when the voice started to laugh.

Weiss looked back at the two and found the situation reversed. The wingless was now on the offensive, revitalized by Weiss help, while the winged was barely defending himself, only barely deflecting some blows and receiving others. Once more, Weiss tried to stop them, but her voice would fail her again. Her moments of success now began to feel like brief moments of respite from the frustration that her inability to come up with a compromise is causing. She bit her lip in frustration, trying to force herself to think of some better way to help the two.

Like before, constant beating drained the person of their Aura, and a cut appeared cheek of the winged, much like the cut the wingless received from the bullet that grazed him, only deeper than the bullet could ever do. That beating only continued until the wingless stopped to regain what stamina he'd lost in the barrage. Some unknown and invisible power forced the two apart and seemed to take away their exhaustion and will to fight, as they were once more simply staring at Weiss, only this time with a blank expression. For a moment, Weiss thought that something had gone right; a thought immediately thrown out of the window when the two began to emit smoke from their bodies. The wingless Ash emitted the red smoke that she was used to, while the winged one emitted a black smoke.

 _Now that's my son! Destroy your façade. Become a dragon once more,_ the voice cheered; pure elation could only be heard from the laughter that came after. The two Ash's rushed each other and were once more caught up in a flurry of attacks, sacrificing their excess energy to keep the semblances active. Without Aura, any attack, no matter how small, would deal a substantial amount of damage. _I have to thank you, heiress. If it wasn't for you, this would be nothing more than a boring old street fight, but now he's trained to beat his opponent into submission._

"Why are you so happy?" Weiss asked once she managed to find her voice. She looked at the gun in her hand, useless without ammunition, nothing more than a damned paperweight. "They're both technically your son!"

 _Vargas Valentine is my son. Ash Valentine is just the mask he was forced to wear by your father,_ the voice argued back, filled with spite of the sacrifice her son was forced to make. The sounds of the two Ash's colliding garnered their attention once more. Metal hitting flesh, bone bashed against bone, neither giving ground to the other, each fighting for the same thing: acceptance. _And now, he'll rip it off. He may not have his wings anymore, but he will be more than the passive servant you've grown so fond of._

The Ash's clashed once more, engaging each other in very close combat, where a single half step forward would force their bodies to collide. The winged would try to create some distance between them so he could use his wings as a means to attack, but the wingless wouldn't allow him, stepping forward when he'd step back, or try to as much as he could.

Once more the winged jumped back to create some distance, to which the wingless would react to it by leaping forward to keep up with him. While both still had no solid ground beneath their feet, the winged turned in a hastened speed, slamming his wing to the wingless' body again, though now with his semblance empowering him, the blow, despite being still a shove, threatened to cause bruises and break bones. Without much friction, the wingless flew twenty yards through the air, before hitting some invisible wall that only proved to damage him more.

He capitalized on that moment and rushed his opponent, not even touching the ground. With a single beat of his wings, he propelled himself towards the wingless with his right arm wound back. He threw the fist forwards, only to make contact with the invisible wall when his opponent barely managed to recover and roll away two feet from the wall and his foe.

The wingless quickly crouched down and with a single swipe of his right leg, he brought his opponent down on the ground, before raising his right foot in the air and bringing it down on the left wing, sacrificing more of his excess energy to enhance his strength further, enough to break the bone inside the hard leather-like skin of the wing in two. The winged yelled in pain as he writhed on the ground, the black smoke that wrapped around his body, dissipating into the air until it was nothing. The wingless smiled at his success in injuring his foe, but wouldn't be able to celebrate any further. As he pushed himself up from the ground, he looked back up at the winged and pulled back as much as he could from the position when he saw the other's sword already drawn, already swinging towards him.

He yelled in pain as well, stumbling back, and clutching his face as his fingers seeped blood from the narrow passage in between them. He removed his hand from his face and evaluated his situation. There was a cut running across his right eye, shallowly cutting the actual eye, missing the iris and pupil, only cutting the cornea and aqueous humor, but nevertheless ridding him of his right eye's vision. Much like his counterpart, the red smoke wrapping around his form disappeared from the shock of the injury suffered.

Both recovered from their injuries as much as they could, but there wasn't much they could do. The injured wing hung loosely by the side of the winged, dragging its owner down as he'll be forced to drag it on the floor, while fighting the surge of pain that came from it. The wingless struggled with his right eye no longer functioning; his depth perception was taken away, whilst he fought the dizziness that came along with it, all the while in continued to spew blood from the wound. To try and manage the amount of blood he was losing, he closed his right eye shut, keeping some pressure on the wound. To even the odds of the oncoming clash, the winged drew his sword from his back, hoping to end the battle as fast as he could to tend to his wound.

 _That's it. Draw your swords. Clash with one another. Kill each other,_ the voice cheered as if viewing some underground arena that pit monsters against each other. It made Weiss sick. She knew that it's impossible for the owner of the voice to be there with her, that it was nothing more than her own imagination going rampant. _Prove to us who deserves to live._

As if controlled by her words, the two Ash's rushed each other and swung with the intent of ending the other's life with a single decisive blow. Their swords clashed against one another, causing sparks and a high pitched sound that echoed in the silence. When the two retracted their blades back and swung again, the difference was plainly obvious. The winged was slower was slow to swing, his wings, as well as the pain that emerged from the injured appendage proving to hinder him. The wingless was less accurate, struggling to keep an eye on his opponent, and see attacks coming from his right. Their clash was sloppy and painful to watch. With a mixture of sword swings and punches and kicks, they continued to wear each other down to the point of exhaustion and numerous cuts and bruises. Before they could come together once more, wanting desperately to end the other, a pistol came skidding down in between them, taking them away from the fight once more to watch the firearm come to a complete halt.

"Stop!" Weiss yelled, with her left arm extended out, after throwing the gun towards the two, as far as she could. She righted herself and glared at the two Ash's, bruised, bloodied, and broken. It was a sight taken out of a gladiator movie, one missing an eye, the other had a broken limb or appendage, and both covered in injuries that should've already incapacitated them. "You're the same person. You're basically trying to kill yourself."

 _Did you not hear me? I've already told you Vargas Valentine is the real one, and your Ash Valentine is nothing more than a fake,_ the voice argued again, her voice seemingly putting the beat up dragons in some sort of spell as they turned to each other again, brandishing their swords, ready to fight. _You realize it already. After all, isn't that why you sent him away? What was it you said? 'If you're saying that friend of mine was simply a fake, then just leave now.' Face it. Deep down you know it's always been Vargas. It's always been my son._

"Yes, I know it's always been your son," Weiss admitted, her frustration building as she was forced to admit to the fact, but it didn't mean that the voice was entirely correct. "I know that no matter what, I can't change the fact that it's always been your son that stood next to me, but not once was he ever fake. Yes, he's lied to me, but that's just part of his rights."

The two Ash's looked and began to walk towards her. They sheathed their swords and in moments, the sword and scabbard disappeared into a puff of smoke, followed by the metal bracers strapped onto their left forearms. The metal on their black gloves fell off, as if they were just held together by some weak adhesive such as candle wax or glue that small children use for their arts and crafts projects. When they were five feet away from her and two feet away from each other, they knelt down on one knee with their right arm crossed against their chests, hands over their hearts, curled into fists.

"It doesn't matter whether it's Vargas or Ash Valentine, both are the person that's always been standing next to me," Weiss said, trying to walk to both injured dragons, only to be stopped by the same invisible wall that they encountered during their scuffle. She put her hand flat against the invisible wall, smiling at the two kneeling in front of her. They smiled at her and put their heads down. "He can change his name as many times as he likes, but he'll always be the same dragon hiding in plain sight to me."

 _So that's your choice,_ the voice said, sounding more angelic instead of the chaotic Weiss had gotten used to. A bright light appeared before her, starting as a single orb of light, before transforming into a more humanoid shape. It took on the form of a young woman with long, flowing hair, and a pair of wings protruding from her back, but retained no other feature, remaining as a form of light. Even so, the ghost of a smile appeared on her, granting some peace to the dream world they were trapped in. _When I first picked up that baby and held him in my arms, I saw his future. I saw you. And I'll go ahead and admit it. I didn't want to trust you with him. I much rather wanted him to stay with Livia than with you, but I could only see the future, not change it._

"So this was all some sick joke?" Weiss asked angrily. The fact that being forced to watch her friend fight himself in some sort of endless struggle until both of them were very badly beaten and bloodied, was the work of some echo of someone who had died a little under a decade and a half ago as some sort of test was anger inducing. She felt like she was being played it, her emotions extracted from her like some entertainment. "What was the point of all of this? If you already knew what was going to happen, then why didn't you just get to the point? Why did I have to watch all of that?"

 _Don't get me wrong child. I didn't show you anything,_ the apparition said somewhat cryptically. She walked up to Weiss and placed a hand on her shoulder, giving the heiress a better view of her ghostly features. Weiss only stood up to her chest, while her wings severely towered over Weiss. _All I did was antagonize you a little. What you just bore witness to was something your mind created. It was all you. It's in similar nature to your other dreams is it not? Or do you really think that a mother enjoys watching her child hurt himself?_

Weiss thought back to her other dreams, dreams of how Ash had suffered some horrible death from different causes. She normally left the other dreams right where they were: in the past. However, she made an exception this time, thinking that maybe it'll all come to an end now. She had many to sort through, with each night for the past week giving her a new set to remember. Ash had died numerous times but there other than his death, there was only one factor that remained constant: her helplessness. She was about to speak when she realized something else that was horribly wrong: how was she able to retain her real life memories in a dream? Apparently, the realization forced some humorous expression on her face, because the apparition of Ash's mother began to laugh freely.

 _So you finally realize. It's about time too,_ she said utterly amused, as she struggled to speak and breathe in between her fits of laughter. Weiss thought about the situation and could only remember one situation in where such impossibility became a possibility. _So, how does it feel to meditate like my son? Feels strange the first time around doesn't it? Don't worry. I can't force you, or anyone, into something like this anymore. Unfortunately I don't have enough power to be much of an influence to anyone anymore. This is probably the first and last time we'll be able to talk like this._

"So why did you even try to antagonize me?" Weiss couldn't help but let her curiosity overwhelm her like a tidal wave, especially since this was the last time she'd be able to ask this person anything she wanted. Ash's mother laughed, gentle and smooth, at the question. "What's so funny?"

 _It's nothing. I just thought that it was my son that was the oblivious one,_ the apparition replied before her form shimmered for a very brief moment. Ash's mother let out a sigh both of them knowing that their time together was heavily limited. _To answer your question, I antagonized you to test you. Like I said, I didn't want to trust you with my son. I would've done something like this earlier, but there was hardly a need for me to. Plus, it's now that you actually needed me to do something. A lot like the Vargas and Ash you see now, there's a bit of chaos inside you, one side fighting the other. One that wants to deny him everything just so that he lives, even if it means letting him go, and one that wants to grant him everything just to keep him there with you._

Her form flickered on and off for a while before disappearing completely, leaving Weiss alone with the two Ash's, still kneeling, acting as if nothing has happened, as if their mother hadn't appeared in some strange form of light. The two of them stood up and looked at Weiss as if waiting for her permission to do something. She knew that look; she'd seen it many times before. She was confused, but gave them her permission with a simple nod.

The two of them looked at each other, and nodded, before facing front, putting their heads down, and closing their eyes once more. A white wave washed over them both and covered them with a white coating of Aura, healing the two of them of all their injuries. The once injured wing, rose from the ground, the broken bone mending and the wing reverting back to its normal resting position against its owner's back. The wingless' right eye was wiped off of all the blood that flooded it, before the cut began to close, and he regained his vision.

The white Aura began to glow even brighter until both their forms were completely glowing white very nearly blinding Weiss, much like their mother before. The light grew brighter for a brief second, now completely blinding Weiss like the several Flash Dust crystals Ash had used before. When the light disappeared, Weiss looked back and saw only a single Ash in front of her. This one combined the feature of the two before.

He wore the usual suit she had gotten used to seeing him wear, all neat and tidy against his pale skin like some mannequin in a clothing store. His hair was slightly parted to the side with a few defiant strands of hair going in the complete opposite direction that the rest were going, as well as a few more slightly raised as if some miniscule electrical current was running through his body. His black eyes easily spelt his happiness and satisfaction with her by his side. His lips slightly upturned into a smile, looking as soft as it had been when she'd kissed them the first time. His hands were covered with the plain black gloves that he'd always worn, retaining the smooth texture of his skin, save the scar tissue. Behind him was a pair of large, black, bat-like wings that was only slightly taller than him. Vargas Valentine and Ash Valentine were, at last, one and the same.

"Come find me after you return," he told her, while he unfolding his wings slowly. Much like Lava's, his wings were large enough to wrap around his entire body, like some sort of blanket, and looked to be well beyond large enough to support his smaller frame as he flies through the air. "I'll prove to you that you will never have to worry about me. I'll defeat any Grimm set before me. And I'll show you what you truly mean to me. Please, don't keep me waiting."

Without even waiting for a nod as a response, he propelled himself high into the air with a single beat of his wings. The amount of air forcefully pushed to the ground was, forced Weiss to turn away and cover her eyes to ensure that they don't dry up. By the time she looked back to where he was, he was no longer there, nor was he anywhere in the world she was in, seemingly flying past the borders of the world and into Oum knows where. In his place, the apparition of his mother appeared once more, still a light with a malleable shape.

 _Weiss, it's still too early for you to wake up,_ she announced, much to Weiss' confusion. Weiss looked around and saw that the world they were in was definitely beginning to disintegrate, slowly disappearing like fog in the afternoon. Her eyes wandered up and saw a bit of reality threatening to envelop the world, but found it rather strange when she saw something made of paper almost taking up the entire vision. _Like I told you, I don't have a lot of influence to affect anyone anymore after this, but I do have enough to have you dream instead of waking up._

"I don't get it, why can't I just wake up?" Weiss asked, her curiosity of the foreign object in the real world causing her to slightly panic, but she had other reasons as well: possibilities for either Ash or Lava. "Maybe you can save it for Ash or Lava. If you have enough influence to communicate with me, then maybe with them—"

 _I can't interfere with their lives,_ she replied regretfully. Her head dripped down before she shimmered again, before stabilizing only with the wings behind her now gone. There were nothing shed, nothing dripping from her chin, but if ghosts could cry, then Weiss was convinced this one was doing just that. _Livia isn't the type to let something go if she really wants it enough. I'm afraid that if I try and talk to her, she'll never stop trying to talk to me again. As for Vargas… well, he's special. Not once was I ever able to talk to him in his dream, that's why I tried to do it in his memories._

"But that doesn't answer why I'm not allowed to wake up yet," Weiss muttered, fully knowing that the argument was the weakest in history, but tried her best to convince the apparition to let her wake up anyway. Ash's mother laughed lightly, though her voice betrayed her by choking up a little, giving away that she was indeed crying, if even a little.

 _You haven't gotten any good sleep for the past week, maybe enough to barely get through the usual Beacon day, but not enough for Mountain Glenn. We can't have you dying before you find my runaway son,_ the voice explained. Weiss looked down, guilty to the point made. The apparition made its way closer to the heiress and lifted her head with one ghostly hand. _But if you would be so kind, I want you to give them a little message from me. You might not understand it, but they surely will._

Weiss nodded and listened to her words carefully, making sure to memorize every single word said, down to the very last syllable, promising to damn herself if she even messed up a single word. The apparition disappeared with her form losing the light that covered it, revealing the true form of the woman. Long, black hair, in similar pigment to that of Ash and Lava's, pale skin that seemed to glow, and a warm smile that only a child would see their mother wear. She was beautiful. And before she completely disappeared and Weiss was dragged into some dream, she uttered one final sentence.

 _Make him regret ever being born for leaving you._

* * *

When Weiss woke up hours later, she felt refreshed. After spending a week straight of interrupted sleep or full out sleepless nights, she had woken up that morning as if she had slept for nearly a decade. The nightmares that had plagued her before disappeared and was replaced with the pleasant dreams that anyone would've normally begged Oum for. She desired, even lusted, for nothing more than to go back to sleep and dream some more, but she knew she had a busy day ahead. Not only was Team RWBY's mission with Doctor Oobleck in Mountain Glenn in a few hours, but she also had to talk to Lava, to deliver her mother's message.

The first thing she noticed after she opened her eyes was the paper airplane next to her pillow. It was a simple piece of paper torn out of a spiral notebook, folded neatly to ensure that it flies properly through the air, but with the windows was closed and she was alone in the room it was something foreign in the room. It wouldn't have been impossible for one of her teammates to leave the paper airplane but she couldn't think of a reason why they would do it. When she went to pick it up, she noticed the second anomaly.

Around her hands were the black gloves that Ash had usually worn before she ordered him away. The warmth it provided was comforting, as if Ash had placed his hand over hers when she felt out of place, alone. Once more, it simply could've been her one of her teammates playing a practical joke on her, maybe even to help her find some sleep, but there was a significance with the combination of Ash's gloves and a paper airplane that no one in Beacon should know – that no one in the world but Weiss and Ash would know. Without taking off the gloves, she carefully unfolded the paper airplane and read the letter it contained.

 _I'm sorry to have disobeyed you so soon Miss Schnee. Please believe me when I say I did my utmost best to resist the urge, but when I heard that you've been suffering, I couldn't stop myself from going to you. Please rest assured that I am fine. There is no need for you to worry about me. I wanted to do so much more to ensure that you receive the peaceful sleep that you need and deserve, but I feared if I had stayed any longer, I would never be able to pry myself from your side._

 _I know that you and your team have already found the coaster I left in the pocket of my hoodie, therefore if you so choose, you'll be able to find me easily. Whatever your choice may be, I'll continue to wait for you. Whatever it is you choose, know that I will always be proud of you, and that I await to hear news of Weiss Schnee succeeding in her goal to prove her father wrong._

 _Yours truly,_

 _Ash Valentine_

She smiled sweetly at the piece of paper and placed it on top of her pillow, leaving it for anyone to pick it up and read it should their curiosity get the better of them, but she didn't mind it a single bit. She prepared her clothes for the day and entered the bathroom, getting ready for the day, with the memory of her first meditation still fresh on her mind. She repeated the message to the two dragon siblings again and again, making sure that she doesn't forget it. She wondered about the meaning of the messages, especially the one for Livia, having a word or two that doesn't make sense to her.

When she exited, already wearing her bolero jacket over her usual thigh-length dress – or as she and Ruby call it, a combat skirt – ready to take on anything that Mountain Glenn could ever throw at them, the three other members of Team RWBY were back in the room. They were all wearing their usual clothes when going into combat, all of them already packing for their trip to the ruins of a destroyed city. The only thing that was really different is that Weiss was wearing the black gloves that she woke up with.

"Hey Ice Queen, looking better. Did something happen?" Yang teased, a little bit in awe when she saw the heiress seemingly shining. The tired look that she wore throughout the week was gone and was replaced with a satisfied one. Hell, she might even go as far to say that she's even more energized than Nora. "You get a good dream or something?"

"Something of the sort, yes," Weiss answered, beginning to pack her things as well. Her teammates were glad that their friend was no longer overly fatigued from the lack of sleep, but were slightly unnerved when it was replaced with seemingly overly joyful humming. "Oh yes, can anyone of you explain how this came to be under my possession?"

Weiss held up her right hand, covered by Ash's black glove. Blake and Yang held a straight face, though to Weiss, they may only be putting on the front that they had no idea, Ruby on the other hand was the complete opposite story. She refused to meet eye contact with Weiss, desperately trying to act busy packing what little things they could bring on their person. Weiss, Blake, and Yang took note of this, but said nothing that might give away their suspicion.

Weiss knew that Ash was somewhere, or maybe had been, on Beacon. Given Ruby's strange behavior, it was more likely that Ash was still somewhere on Beacon grounds. Weiss wouldn't put it past Ruby to come out right and say that Ash had been there but had already left, that's why her silence made it rather suspicious. However, she'd already decided that whether or not her partner said something, she'd express her gratitude.

"Well whoever did it, I want to thank them," Weiss continued, putting her left hand against her chest, before clutching it with the other. She looked down at her chest and held the locket in between two fingers before opening it. She changed it with a bit Lava's help days ago, now it held a small photo of Ash with a small upturned smile on the right, instead that of her father. "It definitely helped settle my mind, even if only temporary."

"So does that mean you're admitting that you like him?" Yang slowly teased, testing the new waters, so to speak. Weiss scoffed playfully, seemingly ignoring the blonde, though to said blonde, it didn't mean that she was denying it. "Hey come on, it's a yes or no question, you could at least give me that."

"I'm admitting that I slightly regret sending him away, something that I want to tell him once we find him," the heiress replied, closing the locket, and simply lied down on her bed, relaxing until the time comes that they have to board the Bullhead with Doctor Oobleck. Her teammates followed her lead, once they were done with their preparations.

Weiss closed her eyes for a second then opened them almost immediately, remembering that she still could tell Lava the message from her mother, and maybe even find out what the message means. With Ash's message however, considering everything that would be going on before he's 'found,' she'd have to write it down somewhere to ensure that if her memory fails her, then a note won't. She fished out her scroll from her pocket and began writing it down, unknowingly smiling at the message.

A knock on the door momentarily took her out of her thoughts, but went back to writing when Ruby jumped down from her bed and started walking towards the door. She opened it to the sight of both Glynda and Lava standing just outside in the hall. Glynda was carrying something small and cylindrical in one hand whilst Lava came empty handed. Ruby stepped to the side, without uttering a single word, inviting the two of them to come inside, heavily curious to their reason to visit. The professor and dragon stepped inside the room, with Glynda going first and Lava second, and looked to the heiress, paying them hardly a mind.

"Miss Schnee," Glynda called, garnering the attention of the heiress and curiosity of the rest. Carefully, she fished out a standard scroll from her pocket and handed the heiress the scroll. For a moment, she stared at it curiously, unsure of what she was supposed to do with it, until it finally dawned on her. "Professor Ozpin asked me to return it to you, apparently you have some business with it?"

"Just curiosity Miss Goodwitch. After you first gave me his scroll, it activated for a brief moment. I saw that he was writing some notes and was simply curious as to what it was." Weiss simply answered, as she opened and navigated the scroll's menus. The first thing she went to check was Ash's Aura level out of some residual paranoia his multiple deaths in her dreams. She let out a small sigh of relief to find it full, before going to the notes he was eagerly writing nights before and read the latest one out loud. "'I've proven my hypothesis of my Aura-less state. I've been in the forest for merely half an hour and yet already I've been able to run thirteen tests. The Grimm already seem to be attracted to me while I'm in such a state, but should I flash my Aura for even a second, they appear to go into a hypnotized state and focus only on me, disregarding what they're doing or want to do at the moment. Beowolves, Ursai, Creeps, Boarbatusk. There's yet to be an exception to this reaction. I will continue to run more experiments, but in the meantime, I'll allow my Aura to recover. I've only just realized that I've yet to run a controlled test.'"

"There are much safer ways to test such a thing, simply just by consulting one of us professors," Glynda said as she ran a hand through her hair, barely able to understand what her 'son' was thinking at the time. She contemplated of dragging him out of his hiding place and explain himself in more thorough detail, if only he wasn't asleep. "If he'd told us, he could've tested that hypothesis, with the Grimm that we've managed to capture and our supervision. Does it say anything else?"

"As far as I can see, it's just more documentation of his tests," Weiss answered, scrolling further down the note, finding nothing worthy of note. It was page after page of description of Ash's tests, set up in bullet points, most of them ending in what he'd written down as 'inconclusive.' The only thing that caught her eye was the last thought he'd written down. "'The sky is clear tonight and the moon is full. What I would give to have my wings back, even for just this one night.'"

"Even if you clip a bird's wings and forced it to live on the ground, no matter how much it evolves, it will always long for the sky," Blake responded, pulling her head out of the book she was consuming. Everyone looked to her, as if expecting more of the lecture-esque quote. "It's something I read in a book, just thought that it makes sense in the situation. I didn't mean anything by it."

The statement itself was enough to cause a dormant feeling of guilt to rouse again within Weiss, the guilt that she usually felt when she imagined Ash as a bird trapped in a cage, but it was the way that Blake said it that affected everyone. She said it in a despondent tone of voice, as if she was giving voice to the bird she referenced, calling out its sorrow, melancholy, and desire. All six of them thought of home, wherever it may be, putting themselves in the place of the bird with its wings clipped.

"Lava, I have a message for you ," Weiss immediately attempted to interrupt the suffocating melancholy in the room. The dragon looked to her with a rather distracted expression, as if she wasn't really there. One last time, Weiss rehearsed the message in her head, preparing herself to guard against the possibility of Lava's questioning. "Your brother left before his wings were able to grow big enough for him to use. Accept and ask about Daedalus' son. Have fun, Livia."

Lava's eyes widened at the message. There were only a few people that knew her real was Livia, and even if Weiss was one of those people, she doubted Weiss would even know the significance of the first and third sentence. That limited it down to only two possible people. One was her brother himself, and the other was dead. She doesn't believe that her brother would refer to himself in the third person; therefore only leaving the person already deceased. She could almost laugh. Why it was Weiss she talked to, she'd probably never find out, but nevertheless, if it came from _her_ then Lava can believe that everything is as it should be.

"What kind of message is that? It doesn't get us anywhere," Yang argued, stretching her body within the confines of her bed. Furthermore, there were a few parts of the message that she didn't understand, and considering the confusion on her sister's face, she wasn't the only one. "We all know Ash is wingless, so unless he can just grow it back, that first part doesn't mean anything. And who's this Daedalus guy?"

"He's a myth," Glynda answered, going into professor mode, thinking back to every last bit of detail of the person she knew of. She intertwined her arms across her chest, and shifted a little, focusing most of her weight on her left foot. "A great inventor of an ancient civilization who was said to have even built an endless prison for a very dangerous Grimm."

"I know of him," Lava added, remembering her time reading a few stories to Ash when they were children, estranged to the reason why he found such stories interesting. Though back then, meeting a human was the last thing on his to-do list, reading stories about them were apparently just fine. "I read a bunch of stories about him, but I never realized he had a son."

"That's because his son died very young," Glynda answered, slowly realizing what the significance of the story really meant to them. Her eyes grew big once she pieced the story together. "Though in this situation that fact hardly matters. The only story that relates to him was when he and Daedalus wanted to escape the king that held them captive. To escape, Daedalus invented a contraption that would allow them to do just that: a set of wings."

At the word 'wings' everyone turned to Lava gauging her for some reaction, and weren't disappointed when there was an unbelievable satisfaction on her face, so much so that it was hardly expressed. It was instead her wings that showed the emotion. It fluttered rapidly, opening and closing, as if some kid it the middle of a terrible sugar rush. Glynda placed a hand on top of one of her wings to try and steady it and maybe bring the girl back to reality. When her hand made contact with the hard leather-like skin, the pair of wings stopped their movement.

"My brother can fly again?" she asked in disbelief. No one answered her, not wanting to get her hopes up only to have it taken away, but there was no way she was going to let anything, not even possibility, to get in her way. She turned to Weiss and stared at her with intent. "I came here to ask you whether or not your sister is a serious one. Will she ever make a joke that can actually be cruel?"

"Winter's not that kind of person," Weiss defended, glaring at the dragon as if she had just insulted her. "Why would you even ask something like that?"

"Miss Goodwitch," Lava momentarily ignored the heiress, turning back to the professor with the same serious expression. She produced her scroll out of her pocket before continuing. "Daedalus' son. Was his name Icarus?"

"Yes, how'd you know?" Glynda confirmed, before Lava turned her scroll towards them. On the screen was a single sentence with Winter Schnee's name at the bottom of the screen: _I want you to assist me on Project Icarus._ Lava handed it to Glynda, giving her a nod as permission before the professor continued to read the rest out loud. "'I'll get straight to the point. I've heard from my sister that you are Ash's sister, and as such I can only assume that you'd want to help him. I can't give you the specifics to Project Icarus as it's still something that's being laughed at by the military, but I'm sure that you would be able to change their minds. Of course, this'll count for your team mission. Send word as soon as you can, I'd rather not waste time thinking about this only for you to refuse.'"

The cylindrical package shook in Glynda's hand as the rest of them took in what the professor read out loud, and when Glynda dropped the package in shock, a small white and black ball came rolling out. The girls looked at it for a second before the ball jumped into the air and popped into a small black and white corgi, simply panting in place.

The reactions between each person were different. Ruby and Yang couldn't be any more excited, fawning over the small animal like a newborn baby. Blake jumped up on her partner's bed, trying to avoid the same animal as if it was the plague. Weiss was indifferent, staring at the dog with curiosity but at the same time, criticizing it for its impeccable timing to take them out of the moment. Glynda shook her head, slightly dreading the appearance of the small dog, fully knowing its significance to both Ruby and Yang. Lava, at first, was looking in adoration of the dog, wanting nothing more than to pet it, but quickly changed when the corgi wriggled out of the embrace of Ruby and Yang and sunk its teeth into the dragon's right wing.

Lava screamed in pain, remembering the pain she went under when the Alpha Beowolf bit her a week ago, even though the considerably smaller teeth of the corgi were nothing compared to the Grimm's. She flapped her wing around out of instinct, trying to shake the dog off, creating large gusts of wind powerful enough to force the window to open. All of them tried their best to get the dog off, with the exception of Blake who remained where she was, holding onto Yang's bed for dear life, slightly fearing that the books that held it up will fall, causing the bed and her to fall to the ground as well.

Needless to say, it was minutes of a new kind of hell in Beacon.


	28. What Is Your Wish

It had been less than an hour since the deal between Jaune and Ash was made that the rest of Team JNPR found out about Ash's sudden reappearance in Beacon. Restraining Nora from running over to Team RWBY's dorm room and announcing his arrival was rather complicated especially when they had to keep quiet for the same reason. Pyrrha and Ren more or less accepting of the situation, though when told about the dragon's deal with their leader, Pyrrha was slightly confused to how it came to be. Ren, throughout the entire explanation, only glared at the dragon, as if criticizing every movement, every decision, and every idea whether it was at that moment, or something long past.

After his business was done there, Ash made his way to Glynda's room where he hoped to, for the moment, get some sleep. When she was given a brief run down of what Ash had planned, she granted him haven in her room, though her displeasure of his decisions and explanation in Team LAVA's dorm room was ever evident on her face. She constantly glared at him, and seemed to never exit her strict professor façade, but he couldn't help but just smile at her, hardly seeing her as a professor, but as a mother-figure. It didn't help that after a shower he was forced – or as Glynda would put it, coerced – to take, not that he'd ever complain about one, she immediately thrust a new set of clothes for him to wear, as well as a fresh roll of gauze.

He went back to the spacious bathroom that the staff of Beacon were presented with and stripped out of the white towel that was wrapped around his waist and covered his lower half. Before he began clothing himself, he looked at the fresh roll of gauze that Glynda gave him and the small undershirt that he'd gotten accustomed to. After a small debate of which one to wear, he picked up the gauze and began to apply it around his chest and shoulders. When he exited the bathroom again, he was wearing the clothes Glynda had given him.

He wore a plain, light gray, short-sleeved shirt that reached just barely under his neck, enough to completely hide the gauze he wore. On top of the shirt, we wore a black, zip up hoodie with an unusually large hood and there was black leather on the front extending from the zipper until it reached the sides of his body, but the rest remained the usual cloth. The zipper was only zipped up half way through, giving the world sight of the gray shirt underneath. His lower half was covered with a new pair of slim tight jeans and completely concealed white socks, with a pair of rubber shoes waiting to be equipped over at the corner of the room. Why she had such fresh clothes on hand was a mystery to him, and when he questioned her on it, she only brushed it off as a simple 'just in case.'

There he slept on Glynda's bed, trying to recover as much of the energy he'd exhausted from his night long run. Five or six hours were nothing compared to the ten hours he'd done before, but it drained him of his energy. Dreamlessly he slept, receiving small visits from Glynda as she went back every once in a while to check up on him, once more falling for her maternal instincts. Every time she came back, she'd only be greeted to the sigh of Ash in the clothes she gave him, on her bed, lying down on his back with the blanket below him instead of around him. It was as if he was a corpse in a coffin, unmoving. If it weren't for his slow and shallow breathing, she would've been convinced that he had actually died.

He'd woken up to the smell of fresh fruit, eggs, French toast, and the bitter smell of coffee. There was Glynda wheeling in a cart with the wonderful selection of food on top, careful as to not attract attention from anyone outside. Ash got out of the bed and made his way to the cart while Glynda closed and locked the door. Ash picked up a single slice of French toast and a small plate of three bit size slices of an apple before making his way to a chair next to a desk in the corner of the room. He placed the small plate on top of the desk, only taking small bites out of the piece of toast.

"You should eat more," Glynda told him, practically ordering him to do so, as she placed a full mug of coffee on the table next to the plate of fruit before dragging a chair over to him, sitting only a foot or so away from him, staring at him intently as if judging him for his word choices hours earlier. Unable to look at her, Ash simply stared at the coffee, black as tar. "That's how you take your coffee right, black, no sugar?"

"I just wasn't aware you knew," the boy replied, picking up the mug with an unoccupied hand and taking a drink from it. Much like its scent, the coffee was bitter, more likely just the equivalent of eating the coffee beans that was used to make it. What's more is that it was blistering hot, but despite the taste and temperature, the coffee failed to rouse even an emotion from the boy. "Glynda, what is it that you want from me? With our word exchange earlier turning into something more hostile, that was never really covered. Everyone has made their point, and want me to stay for some reason or other, with all of them involving Miss Schnee, whereas I wish to leave. You're the only one left who's yet to make a case."

"I want you to stay," the professor replied immediately, with no sense of hesitation. Ash let out a small laugh, putting down the mug and continuing to eat his small breakfast, waiting for Glynda to voice out her desire. "Like the others, I want you to stay. However, unlike them, it's not for Weiss, but for me. I just want to know that my son is safe, and is not risking life and limb out there without my knowing."

"If what you say is true, then maybe it would've been better if we had not been born in such a world," Ash said bitterly. Whether he leaves Beacon or not, the danger of the creatures of Grimm's presence still lingers in the air. Even if he stays at Beacon, eventually, once he graduates, he'll be a full-fledged Hunter and will have to risk life itself on missions; they both knew that. But there was a reason why he couldn't stay. "I found a family out there Glynda. They struggle everyday with the people around them, and most importantly, they have no idea who I am other than my name, nor do they care for more information than that."

"Is that what it takes?" Glynda asked, rather begrudgingly. Ash tried not to let the tone get to him, distracting himself by eating, but it was only able to do much. "If we pretend that we don't know you, that everything that happened in the past in no longer valid, that you are nothing more than just another student, as if we've never met before, then would you stay?"

"You must realize the stupidity of this attempt," Ash argued, finishing the last few bites of the piece of toast before moving on to the three slices of apple. He stole glances at Glynda while he ate the fruit. She was gritting her teeth, fully knowing that he was right. It was impossible for any of them to pretend their time with Ash Valentine never existed, especially for two specific people. "I appreciate your attempt, truly I do, but we both know that you're referencing the impossible, nor do I even believe that any of you would be able to do such a thing even with advanced technology. Even if you somehow convince everyone to do so, I would never be able to forget my memories with you all, even if it was only pretend."

There was silence after that, with the argument seemingly not getting them anywhere. Glynda simply left the dragon to eat what little food he had on hand and what he went back for, though it really wasn't that much, just another slice of French toast, some more fruit, and a couple slices of eggs. With such eating habits, she couldn't help but be worried about him. She'd heard her fellow professor, Peach, rant on for hours after hours about how perturbed she was about exactly how much their students should be eating to compensate not only for the training the school has planned for them, but also the training that they should be doing themselves during their free time, and yet here was someone who seems to deplore such a thing and eats less than the students in reference to the argument.

Ash disappeared into the bathroom once more to brush his teeth with stuff she'd provided, while Glynda simply waited for him to exit once more so they could discuss the dragon's plan in greater detail than the vague description he told her before. However, that didn't stop her from thinking of new ways and arguments to convince him to stay.

Her strongest argument was the fact of his combat ability. Being trained by the general of the Atlas military alone speaks leagues of that fact, and ever since the exhibition match between the two, the dragon had been seen as General Ironwood's prodigy. Although, there was also the fact that Ash is unable to fight more than one creature of Grimm at a time, if in the end he does continue to train under _an_ academy, there's more of a chance that he'll become just another puppet of the Atlas military. Glynda trusted the general, but only to an extent when it came to the matter.

When Ash eventually came out of the bathroom, Glynda motioned for him to take a seat on the chair once more. He did as requested, curious as to what the young professor has in mind for him. The expression she wore practically gave her intent. Her eyebrows were slightly crunched together as if in some deep thought, her mind running at unbelievable speeds to find the best way to solve the problem presented in front of her. She was unconsciously biting her lower lip in unrest, in anxious hopes of success.

"Glynda, do not further try to convince me in staying," Ash said, beating the professor to the initiative. The sudden statement stunned Glynda, unaware that her intent had been so out in the open for him to easily read. When she couldn't say anything back, Ash took it as a sign to continue. "If the situation isn't what it is now, I would've stayed. Simply you wanting me to stay would've been enough reason for me to, but luck isn't in our favor. Once my training session with Mister Arc is over with, I will leave Beacon once more. I only came back to return my sister's sword after all."

"You're wasting your talents," Glynda argued, now only grasping at anything that she could use as an argument. Ash let out a sigh and leaned back in the chair as much and as comfortably as he could, getting ready for what was sure to be some elongated preaching. "All of your years of training and studying, being used for what?"

"But if I stay at Beacon, or at any academy for that matter, I'll only be wasting time," Ash presented his argument, pushing his body forward on the chair to show the woman his resolve. She took on his challenge and leaned forward as well, not wanting to back down. Ash stood up and removed every bit of clothing on his upper body, showing Glynda his newly gained scars. "No matter what I do, fighting the creatures of Grimm is something I can't do. All I am is the perfect bait for the Grimm. How I'm alive today is only due to pure luck and because of others. And even if what I do now is nothing more than simple chores and odd jobs, I'll make more of a difference than I would as a corpse."

"That's why we, professors, are here," she replied, placing a hand on her chest, as if representing every single professor from every single kingdom, whether it's an instructor from one of the academies or one of from the various combat schools throughout Remnant. "We'll help you, but only if you'll allow us. No deals. No shortcuts. And absolutely no testing any hypotheses without consulting me first."

"And abandon the people I've began to grow accustomed to?" Ash challenged; Glynda's logic and occupation pit against morality. Glynda's frustration of the situation began to grow more, her lack of knowledge of where he's been and what he's been doing. "I can't just leave them. They were the ones who saved my life. If I leave now then that means that my life is only worth three days."

Glynda said nothing more after that, leaning back in her chair in defeat, near accepting that there was nothing she could do… at the moment anyway. Ash let out another sigh, knowing that he, once more, avoided a bullet, and while he was glad, he couldn't help but feel bad for the professor. All she was doing is trying to convince him to stay out of worry, but it was as if he was coming up and presenting lies to deny her. However, his arguments aren't false. They might be a little bit exaggerated but in no sense were they false.

Leaving was supposed to be the first thing in his mind, an in and out job, without anyone even having so much as a glimpse of him before he was already too far away to be tracked, but here he was in front one of the people he didn't want to see him during this trip, trying to not be persuaded to stay. He'd only be lying if he had told her at that moment that there wasn't some small voice in the back of his mind telling him, demanding him, practically trying to order him, to stay. It was a voice so small, utterly outnumbered in terms of ratio and seemingly so insignificant, but at the same time, so powerful. He wanted to stay, but not for Weiss, not for Glynda, not for Lava, not for anyone. There was no complex reason for the desire. He simply wanted to stay because he wanted to.

Ash let out a sigh at the professor's new position. He'd won the argument, but once more he didn't feel like it. He could help but think that if Augus could only see him now, what more would he say in the matter? Ash looked to the side where a clock was sitting on a dresser and read the time. It would be soon that Team RWBY was to leave on their mission, also meaning that it would be soon that he'd have a strictly restrained roam of Beacon, granted he doesn't attract any unnecessary attention of course – he still wasn't supposed to be on Beacon.

"Giving me advice from when I was an adolescent, getting me into Beacon, being the mother that I've been robbed of, along with many more" Ash begun, as he stood up, making his way to the professor. She kept her eyes trained at him even as he leaned down and kissed her forehead. It wasn't the action itself that she found strange, but the fact that she felt content afterwards. When he pulled back, he took a step back and kneeled down on his right knee. "I want to thank you for everything you've done for me. It's just that right now, everything is a bit tangled up chaotically. Therefore I can only ask you to wait patiently for a time when I am able to. I promise that when that time comes, I'll be willing to accompany you till you are satisfied."

"What kind of son would ever kneel in front of his mother?" Glynda asked jokingly, standing up herself and getting the boy to his feet again. She smiled at him before embracing him, guiding his head to her chest. "I'll hold you to your declaration, and it better be soon. But for now, I'd like you to talk to Professor Ozpin. I haven't told him about your arrival so he should be surprised."

Within the hour, Ash exited Glynda's room with the large hoodie covering his head, his gaze transfixed on the ground in front of him, allowing the hood to conceal the sides of his face as best it could. There was really no telling if it worked or not since he dedicated some time to avoid as many people as people as possible as an extra precaution, fearing that they might know him. He made his way to the headmaster's office as requested, wondering what had urged it on.

* * *

Once he was safely inside the elevator and was already on his way up, he took off the hood, ready to face the headmaster for whatever was planned for the two of them. When the elevator doors opened once more to let him out, imagine the headmaster's surprised expression when he stepped into his view.

Ozpin's jaw was slightly ajar, and his eyes were wide open. He was sat in his chair with his cane leaning on the side of his desk and his usual coffee mug on the desktop, with an open hand simply hovering over it. Ash clapped once, loud enough to echo in the silent room, snapping the headmaster from his surprise induced stupor. Ash continued to walk towards the older man, now unsure whether or not he prepared enough for the questioning and persuasion attempt that's bound to take place. When motioned by the professor to take the open seat in front of the desk, Ash accepted and got comfortable in it.

The air around them was thick with awkwardness as they continued to stare each other down, wondering how to start the conversation; the ex-student that wasn't supposed to be there anymore, and the professor who helplessly watch him leave. Ash waited patiently for the older man to form whatever Glynda said he had in mind into words, leaning forward into the chair, clutching his hands together just in front of his face, and leaning his head forwards with his forehead touching the clutched hands, simply letting the pair hold the weight of his head.

"How long will you be staying?" Ozpin asked calmly, surprising Ash a little. It must've been apparent because Ozpin laughed almost silently at whatever expression he wore at that moment. "As I said before, you aren't a person to always wear his heart on his sleeve, that's why it's immediately noticeable when you try to hide something even more. I won't pry, but I can only assume that you're reason has something to do, if not solely, with Weiss."

"Glynda said you had something to tell me, Ozpin," Ash reported, ignoring the headmaster's statement. Ozpin understood his intent and turned serious immediately. Of course, now that he knows, he made sure to leave a note for later to ask his colleague about Ash. "I wouldn't think there would be any business left behind between the two of us."

"I'll get straight to the point. I want you to train as a Hunter once again," the headmaster declared, receiving a scowl from the boy almost immediately. Ozpin expected the reaction, and there was nothing to blame the boy for, after all, it was Ozpin forcing his desire onto him. Still, he would try to convince him. "It doesn't have to on Beacon. I could easily have you transfer to Haven, Shade, or even Atlas if you want. I can guarantee you that any of the academies will be glad to have you amongst them."

"I should've known it would be something like this," Ash muttered, loud enough for the older man to hear rousing a curiosity in Ozpin. Ash breathed deeply once before he explained his quiet statement. "Glynda had pretty much tried to convince me of the same thing. She failed. What can you say so that you won't fail as well?"

"It's not just my wish, Ash. It's also Weiss'," Ozpin argued, testing the waters with something so simple. Ash didn't stir, even at the mention of his previous mistress. Though when he realized that it was Ozpin's first argument, Ash scowled at the headmaster, feeling that his time was being wasted. "That's quite a negative reaction you've got there. Has everything been severed between the two of you? Or rather maybe it's you who's desperately trying to sever all ties with her?"

"Persuasion on the matter didn't work, therefore you chose to try provocation?" Ash replied, his scowl on the professor deepening, criticizing the professor's choices and scanning him for any more attempts at either persuasion or provocation. "If that is your strongest argument, then I suggest you forget that this meeting has ever happened. If not, then by all means, say it now. I've much more important things to do than sit here and listen to something I have no desire for."

"What is it that you want, Ash Valentine? What is your wish?" Ozpin asked, letting his frustration on the matter take over slightly. The boy seemed to be taken back by the question, momentarily being taken out of his scowl, raising his head off of his hands, and retracting back on his lean a little. "I might not know you as much as Glynda or Weiss, but I know enough. You can't be satisfied with something as meager as everyday work. You long for a purpose that can't be easily fulfilled."

"Are you willing to listen to a list?" Ash asked sarcastically, earning him a scowl from the headmaster. The dragon let out a quiet chuckle at the expression, earning him more of Ozpin's displeasure. Seeing as the older man wasn't saying a thing, Ash accepted that as a go ahead for the list mentioned. "Well I guess first is that I want to learn what happened to the dragons. For example, why is it that they never fought back even though they so easily could? Second, a part of me wants to know what happened to the village of dragons that I came from? Did they manage to repel the Grimm? Are they even alive? Is my Father? Third, I want to have wings once more. I do miss flying in the sky. Fourth—"

"Alright! Enough!" Ozpin interrupted, growing frustration forcing its way out of the professor. Ozpin grinded his teeth together as he scowled at the dragon's nearly laughing expression, knowing that he had fallen victim to his counter provoking. He knew that this was simply an act that Ash chose to perform to stop his attempt at persuading him, but this new personality was far more distant than Ozpin could've ever imagined. "You want to learn what happened to the dragons? Fine, Bart can help you with that. You want to learn what happened to your village? Fine, a Hunter mission you could participate in could help you with that. And should you run into Grimm along the way, you'd be able to take care of them. You want to fly again? Fine, I'm sure we could help find someone to create prosthetics for you. All you could possibly want if you dedicate yourself to become a Hu—"

"Fourth," Ash interrupted the professor. Though unlike the professor's frustrated tone of voice, his voice was in deep solemn, with the ability to break a heart. "I wish to be forgotten."

There was silence once more in between the two of them. Ozpin's frustration fluttered away, leaving an empty feeling in the old professor. The act that Ash was putting on disappeared as well, leaving Ash an open book for the entire world to read out loud without much care for his privacy. Unlike the previous three, the fourth wish was genuine. There was no ulterior motive in the confession other than just to inform. There was no confusion in the way he declared it.

Ash stood up and made his way to the back of the room, to the large window overlooking the half of Beacon with the docking bays. He scanned the grounds for the ever so color-coordinated teams he'd grown so fond of in his time there. When he found them, he wasn't surprised that he'd been able to. It was time for Team RWBY to set off on their mission to Mountain Glenn with Doctor Oobleck. It was also the last time he'd have the chance to at least get a glimpse of them before he disappeared once more from Beacon.

Even from far away, they could easily be recognized. Ruby was in her red cloak, as it shown like a Beacon for those who knew it represented. Weiss was dressed ever so coldly in her white dress, blinding those who were fools enough to look directly at it under the shining sun. Blake stood out in her dark clothing, surrounded by colors, absorbing them all into her while also rejecting them. Yang was burning a bright gold like always, like a fire burning forever more, unable to be extinguished even by the coldest waters.

Ash's right hand rose up as if it had a mind of its own and placed itself on the cold glass, over the four girls from Ash's point of view. It closed into a fist, as if gripping the four girls in his palm, not allowing them to go – at least not until everything that needs to be said has been said. Ash forced his hand open and turned away from the view

"I wish, more than anything, to be forgotten," Ash continued, not allowing the professor to respond before he has explained his wish in greater detail. His voice remained solemn, and even a bit regretful. "Forgotten by Miss Schnee, forgotten by Glynda, forgotten by Livia, forgotten by the friends that I've managed to gain up to this point, forgotten by this damned world. But at the same time, another part of me wants them to remember me in some way or another. Be it a son, a brother, a friend, a teacher… a servant."

"Is that why you refuse to be a Hunter? Because you'll be remembered if you do end up becoming one?" Ozpin asked, as Ash let his head droop down, letting out a small regretful laugh. The prospect was ridiculous to Ozpin. After affecting many in his life, he suddenly wanted to be forgotten. More than ridiculous, it was selfish. "This isn't some fairy tale. Regretfully, there are countless more Hunters, or heroes that are forgotten than there are remembered. But you don't care about what _insignificant_ people think of you, do you? You don't care if _they_ remember you. You only care if those close to you remember you. Let me ask you Ash, isn't that the same as just running away?"

"It's exactly that," Ash admitted freely, unashamed, uncaring. He held such a confident expression that Ozpin was taken back. Not many are willing to admit their faults, and there are significantly less willing to do so at Ash's age. "I am running away, because I am a coward. I've never denied it, why start now?"

There was silence once more between the two. They took the silence as a respite to re-gather their thoughts and structure their final pieces of argument, albeit difficult to do under the frustration that both sides had to deal with. Ash turned away from Ozpin and faced the window, unconsciously looking down, scanning the grounds for the members of Team RWBY. Ozpin, on the other hand, had an idea pop into his head and pulled out a folder from one of the drawers of his desk, in hopes that it will be enough to reach a conclusion that both will be, at the very least, temporarily satisfied with.

Ash caught sight of the four girls, still at the docking bay, waiting for Doctor Oobleck and the Bullhead that will take the five of them away to Mountain Glenn. From what he could see, they were simply chatting with one another as if they weren't about to put their lives on the line in one of the heaviest places of Grimm activity known to Remnant. The majority of the conversation was led by Ruby and Yang with Ruby's excessive arm movements and Yang's very minimal, but obvious movements. Weiss and Blake seem to be ignoring most of it, only participating every now and then.

Weiss shook her head at what her partner had said and brought her attention at whatever could grab her attention and maybe save her from the conversation. Her eyes landed on the tall tower of Beacon, serving as the headmaster's office. For a moment, she saw a figure of a person, knowing that it was another person other than the headmaster due to the lack of white hair, staring back at her, but blinked once and could no longer see the figure, pushing it off as nothing more than her imagination or nothing important. Her gaze lingered for a few more seconds before their leader brought her back into the supposed team conversation.

Ash panted slightly in panic, fearing that she might've seen him. He clutched his chest with his right hand as he continued to take small steps back even though he was already three yards away from the window, way too far for anyone on the ground to see him. He was sure that she was looking right at him, and for a moment, he couldn't pry himself away from her gaze, and for that, he hated himself. His heart still longed for her, but he couldn't grant it the opportunity to see her, not even such a brief moment like that.

"Ash, if you're so adamant about running away, then I might know a way to help you," Ash turned around and faced Ozpin once more. The headmaster still faced forward towards the elevator, with his hands clutched together pressed against his forehead, and elbows firmly planted on the tabletop surrounding the pale brown folder. As Ash made his way to the desk, Ozpin turned around and handed him the folder. "If you really want to be forgotten by all of us, then perhaps starting your life over here would be the best plan of action for you."

Ash opened the folder and found several photos and documents pertaining to each one. The photos were practically the same, showing what looked to be a large village, with all of the houses made of light wood and bamboo, including even the small vending stalls littered around the streets. There was one other factor that stood out: the majority of the people on the photos were Faunus.

"Menagerie," Ash guessed, to which the headmaster confirmed with a nod. Having spent most of his life with the Schnee family, Menagerie had never been a long lasting topic if it was even brought up at all. As such, he'd never thought about it as an escape or even a place to go for a visit. "Starting over in Menagerie is something I've never thought about, so I'm not sure how it'll turn out. Though, I guess that's what it takes if I want to start over."

"Is that a 'yes' then?" Ozpin asked, a part of him regretting ever bringing up a possible escape, but the other proud that he'd finally been able to help someone he had failed to help before. If Ash accepts the proposition, then at the very least they'd have some idea of where he would be, granted there was no guaranteeing that he'd stay in the village. "I can have transport prepared for you within the week. I can help you at least that much, but once you're there, I can't provide you with any more help. Give it some thoug—"

"I accept," Ash cut off the professor, stunning the older man at the immediate answer. Ash closed the folder and placed it back down on Ozpin's desk. He thought of his recent fear of Weiss' gaze possibly landing on him. If such a fear could be induced, what would an interaction be like? "Just give me some time to take care of my debts. There's a family, a village, out there that I owe very dearly. Three months should be enough. I'll return within three months time."

"Three months it is," Ozpin confirmed almost regretfully. He returned the folder back into the drawer it came from and looked back up at Ash. The boy's expression could hardly be read; only the few moments of wondering were left for the world to decipher. "I can provide you transportation to and from this village if you want. Just tell me where it is and that'll be it."

"I'll manage, thank you," Ash bowed slightly to the professor before making his way out of the office. Ozpin, not knowing what else could be done, remained silent in his chair, trying his best to be satisfied with what he was able to do. As he waited for the elevator doors to open, Ash turned back to the headmaster. "Though it's only been a short time, it's been a pleasure having you as a professor Ozpin."

The elevator doors opened once more and Ash didn't hesitate to go in, leaving behind a slightly frustrated and unsure Ozpin. Once he was completely out of sight and the elevator was well on his its way down, Ozpin let out an exhausted sigh. The first thought that came to mind was how he was going to break the news to Glynda. He knew how Glynda felt about the boy and to be the one to provide him a means to run away, it'll incur her wrath for sure. He grabbed his cane and stood up, making his way to the back where Ash was, curious as to what he was looking at.

He understood Ash's sudden fear earlier when he saw the four members of Team RWBY at the loading docks, now joined by Team JNPR. They were all simply conversing with each other with the exception of Weiss who kept looking around, but also kept stealing glances at Beacon Tower.

"I wonder what you will think of my decision, Weiss? I can only hope that you won't think too badly of me," the headmaster muttered to himself, slightly hoping that the heiress was able to hear him for some reason or other. As he let out yet another sigh, he remembered a slightly larger threat than Glynda. Currently, Ash's sister was at his school. "With Glynda's rage already guaranteed, I can only hope I still have a school left in three months."

* * *

With the large hood on his head again, Ash cautiously explored the halls, stopping every now and then whenever he'd hear something about his friends or his sister. They were only tidbits of useless information, but there was just something soothing about it for him. He'd even heard of what happened in Professor Port's classroom the day after he left, kicking himself for not expecting something like that to happen. Fortunately, no one paid him any special attention, brushing off his presence as someone who was either failing and was in danger of being kicked off, or someone who had just gotten into a fight with his teammates and needed a break from them.

To him, he was just aimlessly wandering the halls of Beacon, simply passing time until the designated time for him and Jaune to start their sparring session. However, he blinked once and found himself outside the real of his thoughts and back into reality, with his legs autonomously walking towards the loading docks.

There was one other time he found himself doing something similar. It was right before Weiss got on the airship that was to take her to Beacon. Even though, at the time, the idea of being apart from Weiss was something he resent, here he was now trapped between his thinking then and his fear now. In a moment of panic, he bit his lower lip, enough to cause a gash if it wasn't for his Aura. His legs stopped moving and he regained control of them, but even then, he continued to move forward soon after.

He found Team RWBY on the loading docks with Team JNPR and Doctor Oobleck. He sat down on a bench a good bit of distance away, acting inconspicuous, pretending to be just another student perhaps listening to music under the hood. With the distance, he wasn't able to hear the conversation between the two teams and professor, but kept them in his peripheral view anyway. In a matter of minutes, Team RWBY and Doctor Oobleck got into the Bullhead in standby, with Weiss turning around one last time, looking around swiftly before landing her gaze on Ash. She shouldn't be able to distinguish him from anyone else in Beacon, but kept her gaze trained on him a little bit longer than everything else. She whipped her head back at the Bullhead as someone seemed to call her, and after a moment of hesitation, she settled in.

Ash waited a few minutes for the Bullhead to leave, and a few minutes more for it to get a good distance away before he joined Team JNPR at the loading dock. Even though it was less than inconspicuous to just join a team like that, he made the exception. The four members were slightly stunned at the appearance of the dragon. They originally thought that they'd have to go to Glynda's room to call on him, but apparently he had different plans. He simply stared out into the distance, towards where Mountain Glenn was, with an unreadable expression.

"Are you ready Mister Arc?" the dragon asked in a hushed tone, even though there was no one within close proximity of them. He kept his eyes trained at the horizon where Mountain Glenn would be if it were close enough to see. "We have very limited time, it's best to start as soon as possible."

"What about your weapon?" Jaune asked, momentarily forgetting that his opponent originally came to Beacon without a weapon.

"Still broken," he replied with his tone rather dejectedly while his overall expression still blank. He let out a sigh before taking his eyes away from the horizon and instead fixed it on the ground, grabbing the tip of his hood and pulling it down just a bit more as if it would better hide his features. "And I have no plan to repair it either. I'll be sparring against you with my hand to hand."

"If it's just a sword, then I can let you borrow mine," Pyrrha offered, ready to go with Jaune to the lockers for their weapons. Admittedly, she wasn't quite comfortable lending someone else her weapon, but if it were to help her leader train, then she'd be willing to make an exception. Ash shook his head in response. "Alright, then if I remember correctly your gloves are still in—"

"I do not have any intention on putting those gloves back on," Ash immediately interrupted, with some venom mixed within. Not necessarily at Pyrrha, but at her hidden suggestion. His hands curled up into tight fists, earning him a few pops of his knuckles from the simple movement. "It was the Schnee family that gave me those gloves, both normal and metal. As such, I no longer have any right to wear them. That's why I left them here."

"Aren't you just taking it easy on me then?" Jaune asked, his tone somewhat betrayed and disappointed. Ash let out an exhausted sigh, turning and stepping closer to the leader before thrusting his right fist against Jaune's chest. There was a small thud when the fist connected, but the action was enough to cause a small bit of confusion in Jaune. "What was that for?"

"Hand to hand combat is defined as fighting up close," Ash explained, slightly mocking his friend, pretending as if he was a new student at early combat schools. He smiled slightly as it worked as he expected, with Jaune slightly frowning at him. Ash kept his fist against Jaune's chest, twisting it, slightly causing wrinkles in the clothing. "A hand to hand practitioner doesn't need something like gloves. Also, whether or not I have gloves, because of Aura, there's not much increase in damage, especially with small attacks I usually do."

Ash removed his fist from the leader and began to walk away towards the lockers. As he walked away, the feeling of slight disappointment and regret was expressed in every single one of his features. His eyebrows were crunched together with his eyes slightly closed. He was biting his lip, as if some sort of self-punishment. His newly opened hands were curled up into very tight fists once more. And though they knew that they might just be assuming, the members of Team JNPR could guess that it was the Bullhead that was slowly getting smaller and disappearing behind them that was the cause of that feeling. With one look at each other, they knew they were all thinking the same thing, but without saying a single word, they followed the dragon.

They continued to follow Ash, keeping him in line of sight, but also staying a good distance away from him, ensuring that their movements aren't strange whatsoever. There were a few times that they were forced to stop when some random student asked them or Ash a question. The only reason they could think of why the dragon's identity has yet to be discovered is divine intervention or they've only heard of the fight between him and Team CRDL.

Once they've managed to make it to the lockers, Jaune reluctantly put on his armor and Crocea Mors, while Ash made his way to the arena. Strangely enough, Pyrrha also put on her armor and grabbed Miló and Akoúo. Her actions raised some curiosity in her teammates, and if he was there, Ash as well, but they didn't say anything, trusting that Pyrrha knows what it was she was doing. And considering the prideful look on her face, Remnant would freeze over if she weren't planning on fighting Ash.

Team JNPR exited the locker room and into the arena, with Ash waiting patiently on the far side of the circle. His hood was still over his head, and his gaze was transfixed on the ground in front of him. With the teams already being deployed for their missions, there were hardly any students left in Beacon. The only ones that were there were practically the ones who accepted missions within the city. Why Ash kept his hood on was, something that Team JNPR could only guess, fear. When Ash finally looked up, it was Pyrrha that took the spot as his opponent, whereas he was expecting Jaune.

"I've always wanted to fight you at least once," Pyrrha said in a determined tone of voice. She drew Miló as a javelin, and took a stance with Akoúo in between her and Ash, keeping an eye on Ash using the dip of Akoúo to do so. She raised Miló next to her head, leaving the upper shaft resting on her shield and the blade just outside of it. "If I beat you then you have to tell me what you intend to do in the future, what you intend to do with yourself, your sister, and Weiss."

"So you wish to make a deal Miss Nikos," Ash said rather hostile, removing his hood, knowing that it'll only hinder him in the upcoming fight. His features were finally graced with light and the team was able to see it better. Ash was glaring intensely at Pyrrha, her proposal without a doubt a threat to him. "Very well, then in the event that I win, what will I gain?"

"Whatever it is you want," Pyrrha said confidently, her words forcing a grin upon Ash's face. All four knew something similar to that grin. It was the same feeling they all felt at the result of Ash's second duel with Cardin. It was completely volatile, full of malice. A single mistake would destroy one of them, and heavily damage the other. "No matter what you say, it'll be respected, I promise."

"By doing this, you all select her as a representative, will that be all right with you all?" Ash asked, looking at all four of them for some sort of reaction whether it is confident, like Pyrrha, or unsure. He waited a minute for either of them to contest him, but it never came. All four of them seemed to be more focused on the match rather than the consequences. Ash's grin grew bigger, triggering a negative reaction from all of them. "Then, should I win, the four of you will forget Ash Valentine. As if you all never met me. All four of you will do your damned best to ignore every conversation that refers to me, and only if should you be pushed into a corner and forced to recognize my name, you will refer to me as nothing more than a name you've heard in rumors."

"Wait, you're asking us to—" Pyrrha began, but was very quickly interrupted by her opponent, her confident demeanor degrading to that of slight panic. Her stance continued to loosen until she was completely out of it. Both Akoúo and Miló hung by her side while her spine was straight once more.

"I'm asking all you to pretend as if I've never existed," Ash got into a stance, his right foot forward, and his left foot back a tiny bit, allowing him to balance, even if he was somehow hit by a large force. His hands were raised at chest level, with his right hand further forward, nearly fully extended, while his left was just barely at his right elbow. Both hands were open, relaxed, and slightly curved. "Now, with such ramifications set on the table, a simple sparring session will not serve us justice. We shall continue to fight until one of says the words 'I give up.' Let's begin."

Before Pyrrha or anyone else could say a thing, Ash charged Mistral's champion, forcing her to ready herself for their match. What was supposed to be a simple sparring session, now turned into a contest of will, with each participant looking to draw the other's blood.


	29. I Give Up

Ash jumped into the air and performed a somersault, retracting his left foot while extending his right on the second half of the somersault and on his way down. Pyrrha had just enough time to snap out of the stupor the consequence Ash set out should she lose, and bring her shield up, bracing herself for the impact. Before his attack could connect, Ash retracted his right foot and instead placed his right hand on the dip of his opponent's shield. He forced his body to spin horizontally before extending his right leg once more, catching Pyrrha by surprise. She tried to use her semblance to deflect the attack out of instinct, but the lack of metal on Ash proved the attempt useless. Ash bent his leg and forced his knee to crash against Pyrrha's temple.

Ash pushed off her shield and landed safely on the ground, getting back into a fighting stance while Pyrrha was forced to the side. She caught her footing with one leg and spun on it as fast as she could, throwing her shield at Ash while she steadied herself. Ash spun to the side, just barely getting away from the shield's trajectory, but as he faced Pyrrha once more, he saw her hand stretched out. He turned around in a panic and saw the shield already hurtling his way. Without time to dodge, out of instinct, he placed his clothed left forearm between him and the shield. The shield smashed against the forearm, threatening to cut it off with sheer force. Ash, though in pain, pushed the shield off, which went back to Pyrrha's left hand, allowing Pyrrha to get back into a defensive stance.

Ash rushed Pyrrha once more, knowing that if he allowed her, she can overwhelm him with long and mid ranged attacks, disabling him from getting anywhere near close enough to attack back. Pyrrha swung her javelin horizontally at a wide angle, fully knowing and expecting that Ash would be able to dodge it to defend himself and continue his charge. As she expected Ash defended himself, but instead of ducking or jumping back, he deflected the attack by pushing against the shaft below the blade with his left forearm as if it was armored. Miló was pushed away and Pyrrha let it go earning her free use of her arm still, simply allowing the weapon to deplete it's momentum on its own.

Ash threw a rather unrestrained right straight at the girl, only for it to be blocked by her shield. Though it was blocked, she was pushed back a foot or so and some of the momentum from the blow went straight into her arm, forcing it to test its connection with her shoulder. It was then that Pyrrha experienced what he meant by dragons possessing strength surpassing others'. She grit her teeth as she refused to let it get to her. With her free hand, she activated her semblance once more and forced Miló to fling towards the dragon from the air.

As much as she tried to keep Ash's attention to herself, Ash managed to see the flying javelin hurtling towards him. He jumped back and Miló stuck itself a blade deep into the floor, causing some shock in the rest of Team JNPR. There was something about Pyrrha forcing her weapon that fast, that hard into the ground in an attempt to land a blow against her opponent, especially since that opponent was a friend. As he landed, Ash crouched down slightly till he was able to touch the floor with his right hand and pushed off the ground with both feet and arm, flinging him towards the weapon.

Once he was able to, he grabbed the middle of the shaft, pulled it out of the ground and threw it as hard as he could at the champion. Pyrrha used her semblance once more and slowed the javelin as much, but there was one fact she momentarily forgot: if enough force is applied, a magnet's polarity could be cancelled out. With the lack of fights against much stronger opponents than the usual muscle heads of Beacon, she had gotten used to using the same amount of semblance strength to deflect attacks. Although, her semblance did manage to slow down the javelin hurtling towards her, she was still forced to raise her shield to defend against it.

The javelin hit the middle of Akoúo and the room was met with a loud clang of metal on metal. Ash charged towards the champion once more and Pyrrha stepped on the blunt end of Miló' and with the assistance of her semblance, it moved to her free hand, already turning into a sword before it even reached her hand. She got back into a fighting stance, ready to fight Ash up close and personal.

Ash, once more, threw a right straight at the champion, though this one faster and a lot more restrained. When it connected with Pyrrha's shield, it was soft, barely making a sound. Pyrrha swung her Miló horizontally at Ash's head, to which he ducked under. She continued the swing even though it was already a failed attempt, her entire body continued the spin, and she used Akoúo to continue the attack, using the edge of the shield to launch an attack on Ash's head once again.

Ash pulled his head up as fast as he could in reaction of the attack, and though he had already dodged the attack, he continued to lift his head up until eventually his body was forced up, and soon his feet. Using the momentum, Ash drove both feet up through Pyrrha's open guard and up to her chin, forcing her off the ground as well. Ash completed his back flip as Pyrrha stumbled backwards.

The two of them got into a stance once more, but didn't move, simply staring each other down, evaluating the situation for a more favorable way for a win. Both had clear advantages over the other, Pyrrha more so than Ash, but those advantages also proved to be disadvantages that may suddenly turn into a fatal flaw.

Pyrrha had her trusted weapons. She had the advantage in overall combat, long, mid with Miló and perhaps even close quarters combat with both Miló and Akoúo. There was also her free use of her weapons with her semblance, whether they're on hand or somewhere else. Ash had no weapons to speak of other than his training in hand to hand and knowledge on weak points that Pyrrha might not even be aware of. That also meant that there was no way for her to defend against any of his attacks with her semblance like she normally would. But for some reason, it was that clear advantage over her opponent that made her feel a lot more conscious of Ash's movements.

Ash had the advantage of the unknown, like always. With his training with General Ironwood and his study of various fighting styles, he'd ensured unpredictability. However, a seasoned fighter like Pyrrha is able to adjust to the different styles as soon as she could recognize them. However, there was one more unknown that he had against Pyrrha: the physique of dragons. She had next to no idea how strong dragons really were, and was still used to the students of Beacon. However, the more he uses these unknowns, the less effective he'd be able to use them against Pyrrha in the future… that is, if he ever has the chance again.

When Ash began to laugh bitterly, it caught all of them off guard. Ash got out of his stance to laugh more freely, causing Pyrrha to get out of her stance as well, both of them standing up straight with very little hostility between them. Ash ran a hand through his slightly flattened hair a little, keeping his hand over his eyes as he continued to laugh. He laughed at his strange restrain against using all he knew. If he wins now, there wouldn't be a next time to speak of. But even if he lost now, his deal with Ozpin still stands. Even if he ends up telling the four of them about his plans about Menagerie, the island is a much bigger place than anyone would originally think, the chances of them ever meeting even if they were on the same island, was slim if any at all.

"I'm sorry, but there's just something humorous about all of this," Ash explained in between bursts of bitter laughter. The members of Team JNPR were unable to say anything. Jaune and Pyrrha were slightly worried that the dragon may have lost it a tiny bit, and was now nothing more than a ticking time bomb with unreadable numbers. While Nora and Ren could only focus on the lonesome voice lost in the laughter, calling for help. "I shouldn't care anymore, but here I am, holding back a little, in fear of future bouts. If I win this now, I no longer have to care about this any longer."

"Ash, you're—" Pyrrha found herself saying without a direction to go to with that sentence, but luckily the dragon very quickly interrupted her.

"No, no, no Miss Nikos," he said, gathering what breath he lost in his laughter. He breathed deeply twice before returning to a strange stance that could be called neither offensive nor defensive. His left arm was wrapped across his back, his forearm resting on the small of his back. His right forearm and right hand were the only ones raised up, as if his elbow and upper arm was simply hanging off his shoulder. He was turned to the side, lessening the chance for Pyrrha to hit him with a bullet should she choose to fire. "It would've been best if you had used that opportunity to try and win this duel. Now I'll be coming at you with all I've got."

She blinked once and glared at the dragon. Only thoughts of her damaged pride went through her mind. How dare he hold back when she was not? Was this only something that he was doing for fun? She morphed Miló into a rifle and fired at her opponent three times with at least a second in between each one. Ash spun to dodge the shots, spinning to the side, alternating between each arm, which would be the one resting at the small of his back. Whenever he'd spin to the left, it'd be his right arm that's at the back, and whenever he'd spin to the right, it'd be his left arm. Pyrrha's frustration grew as his movements only made it seem like he was dancing to her and her teammates. Once all the shots have rung out and hit the wall behind him, Ash removed the arm behind his back, crouched down, and once again, used both feet and hand to propel him forward.

Pyrrha met his approach by running at him head on. The two met in the middle with Ash throwing the first hit. Pyrrha moved her shield to block, momentarily blocking her sight of the fist as well. She was still able to see Ash, but when the familiar force of his strike never came and when he ducked to disappear from her sight, she was forced to move her shield to the side to see him. She jumped thinking that he was aiming to sweep his leg and knock her off of hers, but he finally came to view again, he was only bending his back with his left fist already coming up to deliver an uppercut. With her wasted movements still full of the momentum she exerted, she was left helpless when the fist struck her chin. She was blown high up into the air, losing her ability to see for a good amount of time as her brain shook within her skull.

Ash wouldn't wait for her to land, whether it's on her feet or on her back. He leapt into the air and grabbed her ankles, spinning forwards and slamming her back on the floor, pushing up dirt and dust as well as cracking the floor. The air in Pyrrha's lungs forced its way out from her mouth at the impact, and given the fact she was unable to put up her guard in time, the back of her head hit the floor with a force as well, once more shaking her brain.

Seeing this as an opportunity, Ash pushed himself up from her ankles to her chest. He brought a fist down on her diaphragm not allowing her to recover any air she lost and pushing whatever air was left inside, out. Pyrrha's body screamed in pain from Ash's blows and lack of air, though she may not show it on her face. Before Ash could strike her diaphragm another time, she forced Miló to slice at his temple and knock him off of her, using her semblance to add more than necessary force to it, when her oxygen deprived muscles could not deliver such force. Ash was knocked to the side, recovering from the strike to his temple, while Pyrrha pushed herself up from the floor and coughed, panting deeply and forcefully, trying to recover lost breath.

As Pyrrha continued to recover, she couldn't help but think about her mistake and how much her body hurt because of it. If she allowed him to get the advantage like that again, then the fight might not end in her favor and she'd blame herself for dragging her entire team into it. That was another thing that she couldn't figure out: why would Ash want to be forgotten? She shook her head, getting rid of the thought, instead replacing it with thoughts of winning, for if she does, she can ask him for his reason. She couldn't lose. She wouldn't allow herself to. But there was one problem that lingered in her mind: how would she force the dragon to say 'I give up?'

When she forced herself back onto her feet, she was still recovering, but Ash was already fully recovered, already rushing towards her. She kept her shield low and to the side, making sure to watch Ash for every single movement he was able to make. He raised his hands in front of him, much like Yang would, forcing her to try and focus her eyes better. Yang had always been a challenging opponent for her, and if Ash were implementing the same type of boxing then, she'd have to more on guard than usual.

Before he could even make it close to her, she got onto one knee, morphed Miló into a rifle and shot at him five more times. As she expected, he forced his charge to a stop and dodge the bullets. It wasn't much but it gave her time to come up set some sort of trap. She morphed Miló into a javelin once more and threw it at Ash, ready to use her semblance to force it to the side should he decide to catch instead of dodging. Luckily, he sidestepped and the weapon was embedded onto the wall outside of the arena.

The dragon ran towards her again, knowing that she was now weaponless excluding her shield. Pyrrha threw Akoúo in response, in an attempt to keep the dragon at bay. Ash dodged the shield, but as it flew past him, Pyrrha used her semblance to redirect the trajectory of her shield, slamming against Ash's back and flying past him again, only for Pyrrha to do the same thing again and again. She kept using her semblance to redirect her shield's trajectory, as well as renew its speed, leading him to a position where she was able to attack at both sides with both Miló and Akoúo.

It took a while, of simply watching Ash dance around her shield, but Pyrrha raised both hands to control her weapon and shield, finally able to put her plan into action. Miló was forced out of the wall and was flung towards Ash's back, hitting the boy square on the small of his back and knocking him off balance. Akoúo was next, flying towards Ash and hitting him dead on his nose, forcing his upper body back, while his lower body was forced forward thanks to Miló.

When Ash's body hit the ground, Pyrrha had already recovered her weapon and shield and was rushing towards the dragon, in an attempt to capitalize on her plan's success. She jumped up and momentarily morphed Miló into a rifle, firing down at her opponent several times now that he was unable to dodge. Every single shot was successful in hitting Ash and keeping him down as she came down, morphed Miló into a javelin once more and slammed the blade against Ash's body, causing an indentation of his back into the floor.

Pyrrha tossed Miló up and jumped back. Ash tried to get up, but Pyrrha threw her shield again, hitting Ash's forehead, forcing him back down on the ground. In that instant, Pyrrha used her semblance to fling Miló towards the downed Ash, but Ash managed to recover enough to catch it before it could make contact with his body. Pyrrha clicked her tongue in irritation, cursing herself for even thinking that the trick would work twice against him. She contemplated on trying to pry her weapon from Ash's grip, but considering his strength, it might only be another wasted movement.

Ash stood up using Pyrrha's weapon as support. His body hurt, having to brave through the champion's attacks, unable to defend against them, but it wasn't pain he hasn't felt before. Once he was back on his feet, he tossed the javelin back to its owner, much to her confusion. He'd successfully disarmed her, yet he'd immediately relinquished that advantage. She caught the javelin and morphed it to a sword, taking a stance with it, ready for a fight. Ash, on the other hand, was completely relaxed with no defense to speak of. It unnerved her. When the familiar red smoke began to lightly pour out of his body, she knew why. Not once this entire time had he used his semblance against her.

The unnatural strength that she was cautious of previously now became a much bigger threat. She'd watched him fight plenty of times now to know that the extra boost of speed was minimal, but since it was backed with such a force, such speed is critical. Judging from the intensity of the smoke around him, the drain on his Aura was minimal, more than likely the same usage as the rest of them at the state. It also proved to be one more thing she needed to watch. The moment it thickens, she'd have to focus on defending whenever he moves. She didn't like the unknowns when fighting Ash, and dreaded fighting against it with strength that could rival Yang's semblance. Her grip tightened around her weapon and shield as she watched Ash crouch down slightly, preparing to charge her once more.

As she expected, Ash charged her, leaving a trail of red smoke behind him. He threw a straight at her shield, and the force transferred to her was nearly overwhelming. If she hadn't braced herself for it, she would've been knocked down and left helpless as Ash struck her body over and over again. Instead, she was pushed back a couple yards, her shield arm steadily growing numb. If she continued to take more blows like that, then even her Aura would eventually give out and it'd be her who might end up saying 'I give up.'

Ash continued to charge her as she slid backwards, jumping just high enough to clear her if only he was a bit closer. Instead, he extended his right leg and tried to slam it down on Pyrrha. The champion moved her shield up; unable to dodge the kick due to the unbalanced state Ash's straight left her in. When Ash's leg connected with her shield, she felt her knees buckle. Before she could fall on the ground, more than likely receiving the rest of the kick, she pushed against his leg and threw herself to the side. She tried to recover as fast she could, but was too slow to react when another straight from Ash made contact with her chin. It didn't hurt as much as she thought, but when she caught sight of him again, the smoke around him was gone. He'd deactivated his semblance for some reason or other, but it didn't make the blow received any less crucial. Considering the fights, she'd seen Ash in, a blow to the chin meant trouble. If she takes more, she'd end up paralyzed and he'd be free to beat her without much resistance.

Jaune, Nora, and Ren continued to watch the duel in anxiety. Even Nora, who'd normally be excited about fights, was nervous about the outcome of the match in front of her because of the possible consequence. The best case scenario they could think of is if Pyrrha manages to beat the dragon into submission, but considering what was on stake, they had no idea to what extent he is willing to go. This match was one of resilience, not Aura. Both of their Auras could run out and the match could still not have an outcome. It'll only end after someone utters 'I give up.' It was a match where one of them could very well die if it isn't stopped in time.

Despite the caution her entire being screamed for, Pyrrha was the one to charge Ash. She couldn't allow him to gain the momentum he sought for, fearing for the worst should he achieve it. Once more, she initiated by throwing her shield, fully knowing that nothing she could do with it, would be able to hit him, much less discourage him from attacking back. Ash rushed towards her, dropping his body to the ground, sliding on his knees and shin to pass the shield, watching Pyrrha for the slightest movements just in case she decides to use her semblance for another sneak attack. When she raised her left hand a little, he quickly pushed himself off of the floor till his entire body was a yard in the air, turning himself around as he did so. As he predicted, the shield was hurtling towards him again. This time, instead of dodging it, he allowed it to hit his stomach, allowing him to grab it. He could feel Pyrrha's semblance working against him, and he allowed the shield to go back to its owner, but not before adding his own semblance-boosted strength to it.

Instead of wasting time and effort trying to slow the shield down with her semblance, Pyrrha instead deactivated her semblance and dodged to the side, allowing the shield to fly past her and imbed itself to the wall behind her. Before she could retrieve her shield, Ash rushed her, no longer allowing either of them to even recover a little bit of their breath. Pyrrha was relegated to brawling against Ash with only Miló. She morphed Miló into a sword and prepared for the clash.

With only Miló in her hands, Pyrrha was still a formidable opponent, but her efficiency in combat seemed to decrease. She spent more time defending than her usual attack and deflect flow when fighting people the likes of Yang and Team CRDL, granted she wasn't able to get into her usual flow at all throughout the duel, since her opponent was someone who wasn't so easily read. Ash kept on the offensive, very quickly picking up on her drop in efficiency. Whenever she tried to retrieve her shield, he'd break her concentration by sneaking in a small but quick jab to the chin. In total, so far, she had received a total of eight blows to the chin. Several times did she feel her knees buckle; focusing her strength in the area, while she defended against any more blows to the chin.

Ash's barrage of attacks felt like years to Pyrrha, not knowing when it would stop. To her, every thing came to a slow, Ash's, her teammates', and even her own movements. Everything seemed to be moving through molasses. Her hearing seemed to have stopped working as well. She was still able to hear, but it was almost as if she was underwater. She wasn't sure what happened, she might've taken a blow to her head without knowing and that was the cause, but she took advantage of it. With Ash's movements slowed, she studied every single punch, every single kick, and every single movement of _any_ muscle.

Pyrrha paid very special attention to Ash's breathing wherever she was able to see it, albeit his chest, nose, mouth, or throat. Despite continuing his bombardment of strikes, his breathing seemed to be just a little faster than regular, whereas she expected him to be on the brink of exhaustion. By this point, anyone in any fight would be feeling the effects of exhaustion, and yet here he was breathing as if he had just gone on a small walk. She remembered his ten-hour jog. She thought that he must've taken a number of breaks in between, but now she began to think of the impossibility of him running the entire ten hours.

Time and her hearing soon reverted back to normal and by this time, Ash's attacks came to a stop. Without asking questions, Pyrrha activated her semblance and retrieved her shield from the wall. It was only when she had Akoúo in her hand again did she actually look back at Ash. He was standing a good ten feet away from her, without a stance, simply just standing there as if waiting. Pyrrha got out of her stance as well, relaxing her body and recovering any breath lost.

"Why did you stop attacking?" Pyrrha found herself asking, as she panted lightly. Unlike before, the thought of him taking it easy on her didn't grace her mind, though she did recognize that he hadn't used his semblance ever since he threw her shield at her. "You're not taking it easy again, I know that, so why?"

"I was waiting for you to retrieve your shield," he explained, reaching up to completely unzip his hoodie, tossing it to the side, and stretching his tired muscles. Without the hoodie, he felt lighter, faster, less hindered by the extra friction-causing cloth. "You are like me, Miss Nikos. You lust for a good fight. And ever since you entered Beacon, you've yet to find a fight good enough to completely satisfy lust. Whether the reason is your opponent, or maybe even the rules that bind you, you are left only barely satisfied to not notice. After all, isn't that why you're smiling right now?"

Pyrrha placed Miló against her back, the weapon seemingly magnetized to it, and reached up to lightly touch her lips. Sure enough, a small smile was formed on her face as the feeling of satisfaction slowly became much more evident in her chest. She never knew the side of herself that Ash described, but now that he forced her to acknowledge it, she felt ashamed, yet at the same time happy. Ashamed that she was slightly ridiculing her opponents or the school rules on the inside, and happy that she was finally able to find a part of herself that she'd yet to know.

"Now, shall we continue?" Ash asked, getting back into a defensive stance should the champion decide to be aggressive as revenge to his barrage of attacks. But when Pyrrha refused to take a stance, Ash got out of his. "Is there something the matter Miss Nikos?"

"Ash, I will beat you in this duel. I will force you to give up," Pyrrha swore, using her semblance to retrieve her weapon from her back, and tightening her grip on both Miló and Akoúo when she could. She morphed Miló into a rifle and took aim at the dragon, but refused to pull the trigger until he was ready. "And when I do, you will answer all my questions. You will tell me everything."

"And when _I_ win this duel Miss Nikos," Ash promised, taking a stance, ready to dodge her bullets. They both were smiling, satisfied with their opponent in the less restricted match, despite the worried expressions on their audience. "Once I have fulfilled my deal with Mister Arc, I will disappear once more – from Beacon, and from your memories."

Instead of pulling the trigger immediately, Pyrrha placed her shield on her back and ran towards Ash first before pulling the trigger three times. As anyone would've expected, Ash easily dodged each bullet and ran towards Pyrrha as well. The champion kept her weapon in the form of a rifle even when Ash was within a leap's distance. She spun her weapon from the stock, keeping the trigger within reach. She pulled the trigger when the barrel was pointing towards Ash, stopping him in his tracks, forcing him to dodge to the side, but still within arm's reach. Pyrrha continued to spin her rifle, releasing it for a brief moment only to grab it higher up, just at the barrel, and using the stock to bat Ash with. The unusual attack caught the dragon of guard and received the attack on the cheek, forcing him to look away from Pyrrha. She continued to spin her rifle, moving her hands lower to the stock and pulling the trigger when the barrel was facing Ash again. Unable to see the attack, Ash took the bullet to his side, with his Aura mitigating it.

Her teammates and Ash recognized the attack pattern. It was a similar attack pattern, if not the same, as a certain scythe wielder they all knew. In all honesty, this was something Pyrrha didn't wish to use. Not only did she never practice it, a single mistake could force the flow to end and may even disarm her or even harm her at the worst possible outcome. Should that mistake occur, no matter the outcome, Ash would capitalize on it and go into a flow of his own.

Ash was hit with a bullet four more times and was hit with the stock twice more before Pyrrha morphed Miló into a javelin. Placing the middle of the shaft against her neck, she spun it with the help of her semblance with the bladed and blunt end of the weapon slamming against Ash two times each. She brought the javelin's blade to the floor while her opponent was dazed from the blows, and brought it up, crashing against Ash's chin and propelling him slightly into the air. Pyrrha jumped into the air, as she pulled her shield from her back once more, and struck Ash with it when she could. Ash's body hit the floor with a loud thud, cracking the floor just under the middle of his back. However, Pyrrha wasn't done. While she was still in the air, she threw her shield once more, striking Ash's midsection, forcing his upper body up, before landing on his chest with two feet to force it back down.

She jumped off of him, using her semblance to retrieve her shield, and got into a defensive stance, satisfied with the amount of damage she was able to do. Ash was motionless for a few seconds, before her turned his body so that he could use his hands to push his body up. There was a slight moment of stagger as he stood up, but managed to catch himself before he fell to the ground again. When he finally stood up straight, there was blood at the corners of his lips. He'd finally run out of Aura, but the duel has yet to reach its conclusion, and now any more damage he receives won't be mitigated.

"Ash give up," Jaune pleaded on the sidelines. Ash only wiped the blood off his lips and got back into a stance, ready for more.

Jaune wanted nothing more than to run in there and force them to stop, willing to turn to his remaining two teammates to help him. But knowing the dragon, he would fight them all till the very end. The only way they'd be able to subdue him is with violence, and with no Aura to speak of, it'll be a severely delicate operation. There was also the fact that he could still use his semblance without Aura. Naturally, he was stronger than all of them, and even with Nora's semblance, he could very well grow even stronger.

"Now why would I do that Mister Arc?" Ash asked with a smile on his face, never breaking his gaze from the champion. He was truly enjoying himself, that was obvious to all of them, and he was willing to go the distance to continue. "This duel has yet to reach its climax, so why should we jump straight to the resolution? I shall continue until Miss Nikos or I utter those three words."

"Why!? Why are you going this far for something like this?" Jaune asked, his frustration now obvious to the world. With all the people that he's met throughout his life, he couldn't think of a single person that would ever want for something so negative. It was the complete opposite of what Ash was from when he first came to Beacon. "What do you get out of this?"

"Have you already forgotten the deal Mister Arc?" Ash retaliated sarcastically, earning him a glare from the leader. He and Pyrrha got out of their stance; taking whatever time they could get to relax their bodies in order to prevent them from tiring too quickly. "If I win, then you all have to wipe my existence from your memories. That, of itself, is a priceless treasure."

"How does that make sense?" Jaune continued, his right arm, gripping the hilt of his sword until his knuckles turned white. He fought his body's desire to run in there and stop this entire duel even without any back up, even if incurs the wrath of the dragon and the depreciation of his partner. "That doesn't benefit anyone. Especially you."

"I don't need to explain myself to you," the dragon replied victoriously, increasing the leader's frustration more than it already is. He knew that Jaune wouldn't do a thing, or rather couldn't do a thing, without much hope of winning with such an all or nothing deal. "Once I win, such information is useless to you all."

"You have no Aura left," Pyrrha reminded him, once more tightening her and adjusting her grip on her weapon and shield. She couldn't understand where such confidence came from. He had the clear disadvantage and yet he was as, if not more, confident than when they first started. "What makes you think you still have a chance of winning this?"

"Why don't I show you?" Ash challenged, getting back into a strange stance.

His left foot was in front, pivoted slightly to the right. His right foot was back, half a step behind his body. The rest of his body was turned so that his left arm was in front, seemingly uncomfortably. His left arm was slightly stretched, pivoted slightly to the left so that it was able to freely move around in front of him with an open hand. His right arm was behind him, fully bent at the elbow, sticking as close to his chest as it possibly could, with a clutched fist. It looked as if he was planning on throwing a straight, around chest high.

Pyrrha took a stance as well, her shield was in front of her, ready to block whatever he throws her way and morphed Miló into a sword, turning it 180 degrees so that she now held it as a dagger, and placed it behind her shield, to help support her shield should Ash's intended strike prove to be too powerful for a single arm to support alone. It was obvious that it was his right hand that was going to be the one that would launch the attack, but for some reason, she couldn't help but be cautious of his left hand. It seemed out of place, as if it was just there to be there, but at the same time, it had a much more vital purpose than the rest.

She cautiously took two steps forward, her eyes always watching Ash for any movement, but he did not move, not even his breathing was visible. Not knowing what else to do, and not wanting to lose the momentum she'd gained over his opponent, Pyrrha began to run. She was still posed to block any attacks Ash throws her way, but throwing one herself was an impossible feat. Even with all that, there was still the fear of the unknown.

As she was within five feet of him, Ash pulls his left arm back and tucks it in close to his body. Shield and shoulder met with Pyrrha being the unfortunate loser of the meeting, having her entire body pushed back a single foot away. Ash stepped in and extended his left hand once more, grabbing the edge of the shield and ripping it to her left, away from between them. When her shield and arm were pushed away, Pyrrha swung her sword, cutting Ash's midsection, but not deep enough to stop the flow he created. Now with her means of defense gone, her body was left open to any attack. Ash steadied himself with his left foot, and swung his body forward, dragging his right arm along with. A blow straight to Pyrrha's body, pushed her back a little more as her eyes shot wide open in pain.

Her Aura mitigated most of the damage dealt, but the shock to her body was left unattended. She was afraid of another body blow, hence going on the defensive. Last he hit her body, all her breath was knocked right out of her, as well as prevented her from breathing for a few seconds and continued to restrain that ability for a minute further, but this one was different. In all honesty, the only similarity between the two was the pain, but that was it. It was lower, so that it completely missed her diaphragm, and because of that, she still had her breath. This one, all it did was send a shock throughout her entire body. She tried to take a step forward, but she found that neither her feet were listening to her commands. She didn't have the time to figure out why as Ash was already on his way to her again.

She put up her defenses again, shield in front and sword just behind it. Once more, Ash grabbed her shield and this time pushed to her right, unable to counter the grab, Pyrrha instead used the push to spin around and try and strike him that way. Her feet still weren't cooperating with her, but being off balance was better than taking another blow to the body. When she faced Ash again, she directed sword to come at an angle, starting from high up going down low, wanting to cover as much ground as the situation would allow her.

But as she swung, Ash ducked under it, and turned his body towards her again. Her body was left open once more and as he brought his right arm forward, she swung her shield at him, desperate to interrupt him. Before the shield edge could come crashing towards his open temple, Ash grabbed the shield's edge with his right hand and pushed it away again. Pyrrha's eyes darted towards his left hand, curled into a tight fist, and very rapidly on it's way to the side of her body. As it crashed there, her entire body twisted in reaction to the excess force.

Half of her breath was forced out and her eyes widened in pain once more. She could feel her ribs and muscles straining against the force, as pain surged through her like a wild electrical current. For a moment, her consciousness was whisked away as her mind seemed to think that his fist had somehow dug its way into her body through armor, skin, muscles, and bones.

When she regained her consciousness, it was just in time to watch as Ash's right fist was forced into the pit of her stomach once more. A familiar electrical shock went through her body, losing feeling in her legs, unable to even stagger backwards. The pain from the consecutive attacks surged through her. Her body wanted nothing more than for her to just lie down and let the pain lull her to sleep, but she wouldn't let herself do so. Ash had taken much more damage than she had, and yet he was still on his feet, fighting as if they'd just begun. It was when he drove yet another left to her diaphragm that she fell to her knees, only able to stab her sword tip into the floor to stop her from falling over. Ash stepped away from her, waiting for her to end the duel by uttering the three words.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune yelled her name as he ran over to her, kneeling down, allowing her to stabilize herself against his body. She had labored breaths as she tried to get air back into her lungs. She refused to drop her Miló and Akoúo, fearing that it would mean that she lost is she does so, even though they were barely hanging on her fingers. "Are you ok? That's enough ok? It doesn't matter anymore."

"I'm… alright," she said in between shallow breaths of air, both words coming out as barely intelligible wheezes. Anyone could tell that she wasn't. She now somehow seemed severely exhausted, even though she seemed to have enough energy to fight the entire day before she had taken those body blows. "I… can still… fight."

"No, no you can't," Jaune argued. He only supported her as she caught her breath. He was extremely worried about her, unable to comprehend what had just occurred. She was supposed to be the invincible one, and yet it was as if she was on the brink of death. "Why didn't you move out of the way? Why did you just stand there?"

"It was because she couldn't," Ash explained. They both turned to him, and simply watched as he walked closer. Jaune hugged her closer to his body, in caution of the dragon, something that Ash quickly picked up on. He stopped when he was a yard a way and continued to explain, placing a finger on his stomach. "A blow to the solar plexus is a lot like constant blows to the chin. To paralyze someone, one needs to deliver constant blows to the chin, if they are to hope to affect the central nervous system. A single powerful blow cannot do it, as the shock would be delivered to the entire body before it's applied to the spinal cord. In the exact opposite is the solar plexus. As it is in the center of the body, small blows would only bruise the muscles. However, a large and powerful one would send a shock throughout the entire body, especially the legs. It confuses the electrical feedback, sending information up the spine, but disables responses going to the motor neurons, temporarily losing the ability to even walk."

"But that doesn't explain why she's hurt like this, she still has her Aura," Jaune argued as the near silent beeping of Pyrrha's scroll, telling her that she was nearly out of Aura, began to echo in the room. Jaune adjusted his grip on her body as it began to slide off his arms. Her breathing was going back to normal, but was still somewhat labored.

"Enough blows to the body can very quickly deplete someone of their stamina Mister Arc," Ash further explained, watching the champion's breathing in case there was some emergency. He made the mistake of leaning closer as Pyrrha's last attack on his body did indeed cut deep enough to cause a good deal of damage. He immediately leaned back and clutched the wound tightly, hiding it from the two in front of him as best he could. "It works especially well if the weak points are struck: the liver, the solar plexus, and the diaphragm. If you think back, I struck her liver once, her solar plexus twice, and her diaphragm once. I've put down people several times my size with much less. This only proves Miss Nikos' dedication endurance and dedication to her training. Are you alright Miss Nikos?"

"I'm fine," Pyrrha said, with her breathing almost nearly back to normal, now only panting to regain lost breath. She looked to Ash with regretful eyes and smiled lightly. Her body still hurt, but it felt like it was rejoicing to be able to have an even fight. She breathed in once more and spoke again. "I give up, Ash. This is my loss."

"Good," he replied, as some more blood dripped from the corners of his mouth. Jaune and Pyrrha looked down slightly and found his hand still clutching his wound. There was blood seeping from it and more saturating the bottom of his shirt. "Because I can no longer fight."

Ash collapsed to the side. His eyes closed and his hand loosening from his wound. Blood spilled to the floor and continued to drip from the wound. Jaune quickly called for his two remaining teammates to help in a panic. He screamed at Ren to help Ash, to try and put as much pressure on the wound as he possibly could. He commanded Nora to run as fast as she could, to get Miss Goodwitch, anyone who might be able to help. Keeping Ash's presence at Beacon a secret was no longer important, now only saving his life mattered.

Nora burst through the door; scroll in hand, already calling their blonde professor. As she left, Ren ran over to Ash and knelt by him, quickly removing the dragon's shirt so that he could inspect the wound. Ash's midsection was cut open, with blood constantly flowing from it. From what Ren could see, Pyrrha's blade didn't reach in far enough to damage any of his internal organs, or even cause them spill out, but it was deep enough to be life threatening if not treated immediately.

Ren looked at the cloth in his hand and used to wipe away as much of the blood as he could, only growing more frustrated as it was replaced with more and the shirt was now nothing more than a rag completely drenched in blood. Ren bit his lower lip and simply just placed the shirt against the wound and pressed down on it, using his strength and body weight for as much pressure he could muster. He could hear his heart pounding against his chest, with flashbacks of Kuroyuri running through his mind. He wished that his semblance could do something, but bravery could not save someone from death who's already there.

It wasn't long before Nora, Glynda, and Lava came bursting through the doors, but to Ren and Jaune, who started helping keep pressure a little bit earlier, it had been years. The first thing that Glynda noticed was that two of her students were dressed in full armor, ready to take on anything in the world, granted one of them was clutching her stomach in pain. It was the two boys gathered around another boy that caught her attention next. Their hands were joined together on a familiar gray shirt, bathed in blood, crumpled in a heap on top of Ash. Her heart and mind began to race, wondering if her son had already died. She and Nora ran forwards, with Glynda barely able to hear the sound of their footsteps through the beating of her heart.

Lava was first to the group, immediately ripping both Jaune and Ren off of her brother before taking the shirt off of Ash's wound. The amount of blood from the single cut was unreal. How such a thing came to be was something she'd have to question the junior team, but it was something that will wait for later. She focused all of her energy into her semblance, wanting to quickly heal her brother, as she had no idea how long he has to live.

However, due to her panic, her semblance began to wane, slowly closing the wound before it began to revert back to its original state again and at times even opening it further than it was originally before beginning to heal again. Her heart hammered away at her chest, the beating reaching even ears. She grit her teeth and tried to focus on her brother again, trying to use her anger to somehow speed up the healing before her panic opens it up again, however it continued. Ash's expression contorted in pain as his wound opened and closed, the receptors in his body being constantly activated as the muscle was forced to contract as it healed.

It took nearly ten minutes of Lava trying to heal the wound before it had healed enough for the bleeding to be maintained. Glynda stopped Lava before she could try to close it further, only to open it again with the panic-caused irregularity. The ground around them was drenched with at least a gallon of blood, and they could only guess the same amount is now covering all their clothes. Ash was out cold from pain and blood loss, simply lying in the pool of his own blood, his tattered body out for the world to see with his bandaged chest and back being the only exception.

"Exactly what happened here?" Glynda asked, looking at the unconscious dragon, as well as panning her head left and right to look at the extent of the damage the room had taken. Holes and craters littered the walls and floor. Any number of things could've happened, but considering the state she found Pyrrha in when she entered the room, and the possibility of Jaune afflicting the wound, there was only one thing that could've happened. "I was told this would only be a simple spar between Jaune and Ash. How did a 'simple spar' turn into this?"

"Let's get to the infirmary first," Lava said in a slightly restrained tone of voice. She picked up her brother and led the way to the infirmary, looking at Ash with worried eyes, though at the same time, imagining him floating in the sky with large wings stretched out below him.


	30. I Was Her Husband

The members of Team JNPR, Glynda, and Lava sat in silence within the confines of the infirmary while Ash slept in a bed in the far corner of the room. Glynda and Lava sat on the bed adjacent to Ash, facing the team, who were sat in chairs set up in a straight line. Lava was barely paying attention, more worried about the condition of her brother, the image of his bloody form remaining in her mind, disabling her from thinking of anything else. Glynda was glaring at the team, mainly at Pyrrha, with her arms crossed together in front of her chest. To say she was disappointed in them would barely explain the feeling she was experiencing. She was angry. Once more, she almost lost her son, and it was, once again, right under her nose. Before it had been Grimm, a mindless creature with no other desire that to just eat and destroy, but now it was one of her students that had injured him – more than that, it was none other that Pyrrha Nikos to do it, someone who she was able to trust when in came to sensibility.

Team JNPR sat in awkward silence; waiting for their professor to scold them like young children caught stealing. They had just finished recounting what happened between them and Ash, sparing no detail in how he had been injured and the deal made between them that caused this entire incident in the first place. Pyrrha and Jaune were still wearing their armor, with their weapons ready to be drawn for an imaginary ensuing fight. Nora, usually the most excited, now relegated to silence, not knowing what to do, and still trying to recover from the knowledge that in a few days, she'd be forced to pretend that one of her friends had never even existed. Ren kept his emotions unreadable, keeping a straight face, no matter how much his mind ran, trying to decipher why Ash wanted to be forgotten.

Ash was laying on the bed with hardly anything cloth to cover his upper body, only the bandages that were wrapped around his chest originally and now the bandages that was wrapped around his stomach due to Lava's inability to fully heal the wound. It had already stopped bleeding a while ago, and Ash's Aura had already begun to recover and heal the wound further, but the blood that had already stained the bandage remained evidence to the event. The only reason why none of the five other people in the room replaced it was because none of them wanted to see the still open wound. On a table nearby, was the bloody shirt that he used to be in, brought to the infirmary to ensure that no one finds it and reports it, causing panic. Next to it was the hoodie that hid Ash's features.

"I don't see what made you think that making a deal with this boy is the smartest thing to do," Glynda began to scold a minute after Team JNPR explained what happened. Her question was directed mainly at Pyrrha, who was the one who made the deal in the first place. "You should've already known that if there's anything he can be proud of, it's his resolve. He'll allow body and mind to break first before his resolve."

"It was the only way to truly understand what he's thinking, where he's been. Everything that we don't know," Pyrrha explained, hoping that her professor would be able to be swayed to thinking her way. Since they all shared the same desire, she figured that it would be easy, but the intensifying glare from the professor told her otherwise. To Glynda's side, Lava turned and joined their conversation, gaining interest in the champion's reasoning. "I will be the first to admit that it was rather forceful, but I couldn't see any other way. What's more, once he told us that he wanted to be forgotten, how could I not be curious about his reason?"

"Yes, I can see that," Glynda continued to lecture; the frustration and disappointment clear within her voice. As professor, she had always encouraged her students to test themselves against each other even outside of class to become more experienced and learn from each other. Of course, that encouragement came hand in hand with the expectation that they follow school rules. "What I am having trouble understanding is why you agreed to such an anarchic duel. Curious or not, you were careless and let yourself fall into his trap."

There was silence once more in the room as Team JNPR, mainly Jaune and Pyrrha, let the professor's words sink in, knowing that she was right. Pyrrha bit her lip, trying to stop herself from arguing back, wanting nothing more that to push the blame away from her. She would argue that he immediately began his attack, forcing her to focus on the duel, but throughout it all, she had plenty of time to stop him and try to readjust their deal. If anything, it was her pride, her confidence in being able to win against someone who was unarmed, that stopped her from doing just that. She knew that she went into that duel, fully expecting that Ash wouldn't be able to put up much of a fight, that she would be able to counter everything he threw her way, and that she would be able to force him to submit. Jaune noticed her distress and placed a hand over hers, copying Ash whenever it was Weiss that was distressed. Immediately, Pyrrha felt better, knowing that no matter there was at least one person that doesn't blame her and is willing to stand by her no matter what.

"So, what now?" Glynda asked, her tone receding back to a more composed one. She looked at the sleeping dragon, thinking back to the other times she'd found him in the same bed, in the same injured situation of which she silently cursed the causes: the Grimm and the deal he had with Beacon. "You've agreed to the conditions, but are you four really going to follow it? Are you going to pretend as if he had never even existed?"

"We will," Jaune spoke up, looking at his teammates who gave him a confident nod. He turned to the professor, with a rapid heartbeat, and his entire being screaming at him to reconsider. "We all agreed to the conditions, so we have to follow through with it, because Ash is our friend. What kind of friends would we be if we don't do it?"

"And you don't think that Team RWBY won't be the least bit curious as to why you're all pretending someone they know doesn't even exist?" Glynda's tone hasn't raised in volume, nor was did she sound like she was lecturing, making the team think that she had at the very least, understood their decision, though that didn't stop them from wondering about the situation the professor has presented. "After they return from their mission, their priority is to search for Ash. What will you do then?"

"I… I was confident that I would be able to win against him," Pyrrha admitted in a near silent, ashamed of her pride. Glynda let out a sigh, finally able to determine one of the main causes of the accident. She knew that Pyrrha couldn't be blamed, not fully anyway, there was also Ash's pride to take in to consideration. After all, he was the one who took away the usual rules. "Admittedly, it'll be strange to keep up such an act with them, but I'm sure Ash would be quite alright with us at the very least explaining it to them."

"That means that you'll have to tell them that he was here," Lava chimed in, joining their conversation though it almost seemed like she didn't want to. The female dragon's hands curled into fists as she imagined the expression on Team RWBY when they learn the fact. Ruby, already knew, but that didn't mean she couldn't be worried about her partner. "Or it could be me who tells them. He came here for me, so I have as much responsibility in this as you guys."

"You weren't the one who cut his stomach open," Pyrrha countered negatively, barely able to look at the female leader. In the moment of the cut, Pyrrha felt the resistance, but she wasn't able to tell how deeply she cut as she was still forced back. Ever since, they found out about the injury, the feeling of guilt washed over and overwhelmed her.

"You're not his sister," Lava countered back just as negatively. She understood, the champion's guilt, but being his only family, and the reason he came back for in the first place, Lava felt equal, if not more, responsibility to his injury.

"Am I allowed to voice my input?" Ash woke up and spoke, his tone rather pained and restrained. He tried to get up, but his wound threatened to open and bleed once more as the muscle began to contract and relax. He immediately grabbed his stomach in pain, causing Lava to move closer to him and use her semblance once more. "Thank you, Livia. I'm glad to see you've forgiven me enough to tend to my wounds."

Ash had meant it jokingly, but his pained tone wasn't able to deliver the intent. Lava stopped closing the wound for a moment, brought her right hand up and brought it down on to of her brother's head, barely caring that the action further opened his wound, drawing more blood from his already blood drained body. Lava went back to healing him, keeping an ear out for her scroll in case her Aura level was finally depleted. Ash was groaning in pain, but was obviously trying act as if nothing hurt. After a minute more, Ash's wound had fully closed, or at least they could assume so, as Ash seemed to no longer be in pain, and the bleeding had completely stopped. Now that Lava wasn't panicking, her semblance no longer suffered the irregularity, allowing her full control.

"Who ever said I already forgave you? I only healed you so I can be the one to kick your ass to kingdom come," Lava threatened, throwing a small punch to her brother's wrapped stomach. The attack was weak, lacking both power and momentum as her arms were already stretched out towards him. Ash didn't even flinch when the attack hit him, he looked down at her sister's right fist against his stomach, against where the wound should be and found that there was no blood further staining the bandages and no pain that emitted from the wound. "But, I am glad we got to you in time. Don't ever worry me like that ever again, ok? Do that and we'll be even, ok?"

"I'm sorry Livia, but for that you're just going to have to trust that I'll be all right taking care of myself," Ash said, his tone rather melancholic and lonely. Lava looked confused, and he couldn't blame here. He looked at Glynda and Team JNPR before taking in a deep breath, preparing himself. "Headmaster Ozpin and I made an arrangement earlier, before I met with Team JNPR. In three month's time, he would've already secured transportation for me. I'll be going to Menagerie."

"Excuse me for a moment," Glynda said with restrained anger evident in her voice. She stood up as calmly as she could and turned towards the door, but before she could take a step, Ash pushed his body forward, reached out, and gently took hold of Glynda's left hand. "I just need to have a word with Professor Ozpin, Ash. I will be back as soon as I can."

"I'll only let go once you decide to hear me out. Please Glynda, grant me at least that," Ash's tone was near silent, and carried his melancholy and resolve. Glynda made the mistake of looking down at the boy. His eyes were darker than they should be, his teeth were visible through slightly parted lips, gritting against each other as if fighting for dominance. Given what little bit she knew of him, she could guess that the decision was an ordeal to make. His grip loosened and her hand became free, giving her free reign to grab Ozpin by the neck and hang him out a window for what he's done, but instead, she sat down by Lava once more. "The majority of my being wishes to start over. To start over where no one knows me, and I am once more left to the mercy of luck to get past the day. I feel that if I go back to that state, I'll be able to find myself again."

"Are you sure it has nothing to do with Weiss' order?" the professor asked, stunning the boy as he was forced to recall his last night as a student of Beacon. It was one event that she'll never forget even after she grows older and retired; a reminder of the first time she's failed her son. "It's what she told you isn't it? To return to the dirty street rat that you once were."

"It may have started with that, but now it feels like it's something I have to do," Ash explained, before standing up and removing the bloody bandages around his stomach. As he steadily unwrapped his midsection, it gave the six other people fresh view of his scars. Countless pale lines, some jagged, some straight, all of looking deep as wounds. "Ozpin is correct when he said that I long for a purpose that can't be easily fulfilled. I was satisfied with simply serving Miss Schnee, but for now, I can't even face her. Not until I can prove to her – to the world – that I can fight and best any kind of Grimm. I asked to train with Mister Arc to start my training, but unfortunately there was an outlier that I seemed to have forgotten to calculate."

He looked to Pyrrha as he continued to remove the bandages. Pyrrha looked away guiltily, slightly ashamed that she hindered her friend's plan to get stronger so that he could finally face someone again. That expression immediately gave away what she was feeling, forcing a laugh out of Ash. Pyrrha turned back to him confused. The bloody bandages fell from Ash's body, simply falling to the floor in a clutter.

"Don't worry yourself about such a thing Miss Nikos, it was impossible for you to know my intention," Ash reassured her as he picked up the used bandage and made his way to the other side of the room to dispose it. His chest and upper back was still bandaged, but as he had his back turned towards the six, they couldn't help but stare and imagine what the stumps on his back looks like. Lava was the only one who knew what the pair looked like, and it made her sick. "Now, let's go back into the problem you and my sister were discussing."

Ash made his way back to the bed he, probably, had spent more time on than any other student or graduate had spent on one before him. He planted his elbows on his knees and clutched his hands together, extending his thumbs and placing his chin there. He looked at the six people in the room with him, trying to predict how each of them would react to the argument, and who would try and argue back.

"First of all, I'd like to address something about that deal," Ash stated, mainly looking at Pyrrha. He took in a deep breath, getting ready to argue with anyone who thinks differently that him, and at the moment, there are at least two people. "In the beginning, before our duel had started, I only made that deal with you to provoke you and force you into fighting with more vigor than you're used to. As I said, you and I are the same in that we lust for a good fight. That was the only way I could ensure that at least I am satisfied afterwards. I never really expected that you'd agree, or rather, I can force you to agree to it, thus meaning nothing by it."

"So then we can—" Pyrrha began, her voice full of hope, but Ash was quick to interrupt her as well as smother any hope she had to death.

"Unfortunately, now I see use for that deal," Pyrrha's hope shattered like Ash expected. It would've been amusing how one expression could completely fall apart and be replaced by it's complete opposite, but the current situation prevented him from enjoying it. "Now, I don't fully expect any of you to completely follow through that deal. Instead, I'd like all you to decline any recruitment to help look for me, as well as tell no one about what I told you today."

"You mean Team RWBY," Nora chimed in, her voice unappreciative and slightly angry at the male dragon. Ash nodded, fully expecting her to get up and attack him, but as she tried to stand up, Ren held her back. She shot him a quick glare before fixing herself back on the chair. "Why can't you just train here? That way you can stay here and learn how to fight Grimm."

"Because as I am right now, I can not bear to face Miss Schnee," Ash confessed, making his way to the table that held the bloodstained shirt, picking it up and inspecting the areas that his blood was covering. There were barely any white areas left, from the right shoulder to the bottom left corner, the color red was the thickest. "I believe some time in solitude would do me some good. Maybe I'll be able to re-set some priorities, because right now, I feel… lost."

"But why Menagerie? Why somewhere so far away?" Lava asked, more angry than curious. The venom in her voice was a potent one that could kill Ash if she doesn't decide to rip him apart herself. Her fists were clenched into tight fists, turning her knuckles completely white. Her disapproval was easy to see, but no one was able to do anything. "Why can't you just stay where you were the past week? You can do whatever the hell you want there. And it's closer right? Just stay there."

"I'm sorry Livia," Ash out down the shirt and made his way to Lava. He knelt down in front of her and placed his hand on hers much like he would when Weiss found herself overwhelmed with frustration when he was still her butler. The two dragons stared into each other's eyes; Lava's full of fear and sorrow, while Ash's was full of empathy and determination. "This is something I have to do. I promise, I'll be fine. And when I'm done, I'll come by Mistral to see you."

"After that? What happens after that?" Lava asked, as if daring her brother to do something that will push her over the edge. He only smiled at her, though it was one full of fear and uncertainty. It was as if he was telling her that he accepts her dare and was confident that he would win.

"After that, I will try to find any dragons left from our village," Lava shivered at the mention of their village. She despised that village for treating her brother as an outcast, and especially her father for trying to kill him. The only good things that village had ever done for her was her mother, and her brother. That's why she couldn't understand why he'd ever want to find them. "That as well, I'll do alone. We can't be the last dragons Livia, and if we are, then should I fail, then I apologize now for leaving you as the absolute last one."

"And Weiss?" Jaune chimed in, attracting the attention of both dragons to him. Lava was still slightly confused and worried, while Ash was almost laughing.

"Miss Schnee has a different goal than I, therefore there's nothing to do," Ash explained, a genuine smile plastered on his face. The answer left the others in the room speechless. They had gotten used to hearing Ash agree to everything if it meant helping and staying with the heiress, but yet again, he broke all expectations by not only refusing to help, but staying as far away from her as well. "She wishes to be the one to lead the Schnee family to greater glory, and it is one task I know she'll be able to accomplish with or without me. However, before I set out to find more dragons, I will pay her a visit, such is one of my promises to her."

"And after you find the dragons?" Glynda was the one to continue the interrogation, her tone just as confused as Lava and as angry as Nora. It took her all to resist getting up once more and drag the headmaster by his neck back to the infirmary to explain himself, but her will as well as Ash's request kept her still. "And what if they really are all gone and you're only wasting your time? What if you two really are the last dragons left?"

"As I said, should that be the truth, then I leave Livia as the last one," Ash got up and sat back down on the bed. He knew that the professor was right. While he doubted the dragons would be wiped out with just a single horde of Grimm, there have been countless battles in history, both Faunus and humans alike, that ended in the favor of Grimm; it was one possibility that he couldn't rule out. "

"I don't want to be the last one. Why do I have to be it? Why does it all have to rest with me?" Lava's frustration, anger, and curiosity all began to pour out of her like water from a broken dam. Her mind ran faster than the rest, trying to think of any other arguments they could possibly bring out to beat his reasoning, his desire driven reasoning. In her desperation, one thought came to mind. "If you stay here, stay with us, then I swear to you that we will give you back your wings!"

There was another moment of silence in the room as they all, including Lava herself, let the promise sink in. With the exception of both Glynda and Lava, the people in the room filled it with their confusion and interest. Though it mostly came from Team JNPR. All four were curious as to how their friend would regain his lost appendages, and interested in either how he'd look afterwards, how'd he use them in his everyday life, and/or how he'd be able to use them in combat: whether he'd use the same attack style as his sister or if he would devise a style of his own like he's done before.

Ash, on the other hand, was more indifferent. His sister's promise did rouse his curiosity with the same reason as his friends, but his interest in the matter was little to none. Being without wings and having to pretend being human for so long confused his desire about the matter. Before, he wanted them back, but it was only now that there actually might be a chance for him to regain did he realize that having wings again might prove to be more of a foreign, or even unwanted, feeling and concept. He could feel his stumps trying to beat, straining against the tight restraints of the gauze keeping them down. It was wasted movement, but much like the person the two were attached to, they wouldn't give up so easy. Once more, much like when his feet carried him towards the docking bay earlier, his will wavered, distorted and corrupted by his warring desires.

His inner quarrel was obvious to the rest. It was as if there were actually two beings arguing back and forth within his mind, even if there were no words running through his thoughts. Ash's eyes would wax and wane. His eyebrows would curl together then uncurl. His jaw would grind his teeth together before relaxing. His hands would turn into tight fists before opening again. Even his sitting had begun to suffer restlessness. It was because of this that a smile formed upon Lava's features, as she thought that she only needed to push just a little further to convince him, but just like before, such a thought was quickly proven wrong.

"My wings are gone Livia," Ash's tone reflected its owner's confusion and inner conflict, as it seemed to switch between trying to voice out strong desires and restrained anger and hate. Once more, Ash's hands turned into fists, his knuckles popping as they fully closed. "I easily sacrificed them without much of a second thought. I've thrown away my pride as a dragon. Oum, I doubt I should even be called a dragon now. Even if somehow, you come up with some way to bring them back, what makes you think I deserve them?"

"Because I know you. I know that, not even for a second, did you believe what you were saying," Lava stood up and took a step towards her brother. Before anyone else could even so much as ask what she intended to do, she grabbed the gauze around Ash's chest and pulled on it as hard as she could. The translucent cloth easily ripped under her strength, freeing Ash's stumps from their confinement. "If you can throw away your pride as a dragon by getting rid of your wings, then does that mean that our mother died without her pride? She saved you. She can take pride from that."

Ash tried to pull away and interject her, but the girl pushed him down on the bed and towered over him as she stretched her wings as far as they would go as if to prove a point. Glynda and Team JNPR remained silent, curious as to how Lava would convince Ash as well as slightly terrified at what further provocations would do.

"Even as a kid you compare yourself to the first Vargas, and I know you still do it today," Lava's tone was getting louder as her anger continued to build up and let loose. Ash on the other hand, merely pushed himself up from the bed and tried to stop his stumps from beating to no avail. He no longer had control over them. His stumps, the part of him that was excited to have wings again, to be able to fly once more, met and fought him at every corner. "You say that you doubt you should be called a dragon, but wasn't _he_ put in a similar situation? Before he led the others against the Grimm, Vargas was exiled from his kingdom, but he still considered himself a part of it and defended. And in the end, he did die a part of it. What makes this any different? Yeah, you can't fly anymore, but you still have your wings. You're still a dragon."

"I'm not our ancestor," Ash argued back, forcing himself off the bed to face down his sister. The two dragons glared at each other, both frustrated and angry, creating coating the air around them with thickening and unnerving tension. The thought of Ash fighting again went through their minds; a thought that they, Glynda and Team JNPR, wouldn't mind staying a mere thought. "Unlike him, I am not brave. Unlike him, I am not influential. Unlike him, I cannot lead others into battle. Unlike _me_ , _he_ never sacrificed his wings. WE ARE NOTHING ALIKE! Our only similarity is the name we share. I've known that since we were children. Maybe you're right in saying that I've been comparing myself with him, however, I see it as realizing exactly how different we truly are."

Lava couldn't utter a single word as she let the fact sink in: all this time, she only thought that she knew her brother's struggle. And thinking back on it, she realized that whereas their ancestor was admired and respected even in exile, her brother had only been alone, crying in a tower by his lonesome where he thought none could hear him. Adding to it, in the twelve or so years that they've been apart, she'd only heard stories of how he resolved the conflict of others while trying to settle his own. Her resolution waned for a moment and she took a step back. Lava's wings folded in defeat, seemingly trying to shrivel up and hide behind their owner.

"Livia," Ash's tone changed once more. His once hostile tone changed to a softer one. Ash took a step forward and embraced his sister, wrapping his arms softly around her body and wings as much as he could, seemingly trying to flatten down the extra appendages. "Please understand. Amongst my many wishes, regaining my wings is definitely one of my most desired, but I'd rather not hold on to such false hope."

"But it's not fal—" Lava tried to argue, but Ash wouldn't let her.

"It is," Ash pulled away from his sister and looked to her solemnly. He smiled at her even though she seemed to be on the verge of losing all hope. It wasn't that he was trying to reassure her. He simply found her expression amusing. "I've watched everything around me ever since I found myself in Atlas, and I've seen enough to know that nothing in this world could ever be a certainty. Even if you find some way to get my lost wings back, there's no telling if it'll be for anything more than an aesthetical purpose."

Ash let his sister sit back down next to Glynda before turning to Team JNPR, his expression turning sterner as his eyes trained on the blonde leader. He breathed deeply once and walked towards one of the drawers and pulled out a single roll of gauze. Without bothering to turn back to the rest, Ash spoke as he wrapped the gauze around his chest and stumps again.

"Seeing as our time is now even more limited, what do you say to getting our sparring session started Mister Arc?" Ash continued to wrap his chest even with the silence that came after his question. With the addition of wrapping his shoulders instead of just his chest, it took a while like it did after Weiss taught him, figuring that it should've given the people behind him, especially the blonde leader, enough time to process what he'd just said. "I've rested enough to have our spar, and thanks to all of you, I've no wound to hold me back or to keep me bed ridden."

He finished wrapping his chest, rotating his shoulders to test his maneuverability. Happy with what he's done, Ash turned around with a satisfied smile. The different expressions he was shown amused him to no end, like much of the expressions he was used to seeing when he was still a student of Beacon. Glynda and Lava both glared at him, as if they wanted nothing more than to strap him down on the bed in a straight jacket. Jaune and Pyrrha stared at him in both amazement and doubt, unable to believe that the dragon could continue to fight, and even if he could, how ready he was for it after such an injury. Nora, as always being Nora, was excited to see her friend ready to continue fighting, grinning from ear to ear from just the image of Ash and Jaune in a fight, with Jaune constantly stumbling after each attack that the dragon dodges. Ren, stayed as neutral as he could in the situation, simply trusting Ash to know what he was doing, but giving him a quick look over to as if to judge if he really could continue fighting.

"Glynda, is it possible to acquire some training swords from one of the combat schools nearby?" Ash asked, panning his gaze towards the young professor. She momentarily forgot about her anger, struck strange by the question. She gently grabbed her chin with two fingers and thumb, humming in thought. "Mister Arc, we'll be using the wooden swords, though you will still continue to wield your shield. This way, at worst, we'll only be inflicting bruises to each other. Well Glynda? Is it possible?"

"We have a few stored already in case there happens to be a group of visiting children on a field trip. I can go get them, but are you sure this is what you want?" Glynda's anger came back, though most of it directed to the unknown that Ash usually bring. She couldn't deny him his ability to choose for himself, and if she didn't comply with it, then he'd only be putting himself in more danger by arming his opponent with a real sword. She didn't like the way his choice left her helpless, but there wasn't much else she could do. "Even if you're only using wooden weapons, it would still be best if you rest a little bit longer, at least get your Aura back to a decent state."

"Time is limited. With Team JNPR leaving the day after tomorrow, this will more than likely be the last opportunity I get to train with another person," Ash looked down at his hands, tracing the scars with his gaze. It was those scars that first got him to fight, and he couldn't help but remember every fight he's had since then: from that fateful day that his adoptive mother die to the death match that he'd challenged Pyrrha to earlier. "In three month's time, before I leave for Menagerie, I will prove myself to Miss Schnee – to all of you – that I will be able to beat any Grimm set before me, in hope that it'll put your minds at ease."

Jaune couldn't respond. He was responsible for being a good enough training partner for his friend so that he could prove to them that he will be all right dealing with Grimm, and to top it all off, they only had a day and a half at most to train. He knew that he wasn't the best person to train with – Hell he'd even go out and say that he'd be the worst at it. The smile on the male dragon's face carried the message for him to not worry, yet it only served to unnerve him even further. He knew that smile, they all did. It was the same smile as the one all of Team RWBY has whenever something is going exactly the way they want it to. And Jaune had fallen is the dragon's inescapable trap.

The defeated expression on Jaune's face forced Ash's grin to grow wider. Knowing that he'd won, Ash made his way to the nearby table that held his bloody shirt and hoodie. He stole one more, quick glance at the shirt before picking up the hoodie and putting it on again, despite the slightly uncomfortable texture of the inside. When he turned to look at Jaune one more, the leader stood up and dejectedly made his way out the door along with his team. Lava soon followed them, not allowing herself to be absent should her brother somehow be injured again. Glynda stood up as well but made her way to Ash instead.

"You won't learn much from fighting another student lacking in experience," she said firmly, with her usual cold, professor-like, stare seemingly boring holes into his skull. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest, leaning most of her weight on a single leg. Ash tried his best to hold in an amused smile or laughter, unable to take her seriously after acting like a concerned mother. "Later tonight, I will be the one to train you. Therefore don't you dare exhaust all of your energy again, you'll be running laps around the academy until I am satisfied, at the very least. Am I understood?"

"I understand," Ash confirmed, steeling himself for what he was about to do. He quickly leaned up and gave the professor a kiss on her cheek, very quickly taking the blonde out of her act and leaving her stunned. He jogged to the door, but turned back before exiting. "Thanks for your concern, mom. I'll see you tonight."

Glynda just stood there with her mouth slightly open for a good while before she managed to regain her composure again, and by then, the students were already long gone. She shook her head off her stupor, slightly cursing the boy for getting the best of her even as she reached up to touch her cheek. Before anyone could find her in such a state and get the wrong impression, she exited and headed over to find the wooden training weapons.

* * *

It hadn't been long since Team RWBY and Doctor Oobleck had set foot in the ruins of Mountain Glenn and yet already they had encountered several waves of the creatures of Grimm. Fortunately, they were prepared for them and dispatched them quickly before they could become overwhelmed with combined packs or a single, much larger one. Doctor Oobleck had yet to help the girls fight, but luckily it wasn't just the four of them fighting. Ruby had snuck her pet corgi along with them without any of them knowing, but instead of her getting scolded by the good doctor, she was praised. At first Weiss found it as a stroke of good luck for her leader alone, but who knew that the tiny, adorable corgi could be so deadly to the Grimm?

After dispatching the last of yet another pack of Grimm, Weiss left her rapier lodged in the body of the last Beowolf she'd killed and placed her hands on her knees, slightly exhausted. With her back straight and hands on her knees, she panted next to the corgi she'd only met an hour so ago. They looked at each other curiously. Weiss looked at the dog as he panted happily, as if he wasn't tired at all and had not just been fighting the creatures of Grimm along with them. Zwei stared at Weiss innocently, probably wondering why the human was so tired, and for that she couldn't help but curse him.

Weiss straightened herself and looked around. The buildings around them were burned down, decayed, destroyed, and most importantly, at least for the moment, free of any and all Grimm. Doctor Oobleck had sent all four of Team RWBY to scout the surroundings for a good place to set up camp, as well as get rid of any Grimm they find whilst he studies the rubble of the main street. Seeing as she finished early, and she had a guard dog along with her, Weiss walked over to the shade of a lone standing pavilion that seemed to be a part of a park before, though now it stood on patches of charred grass. She sat on one of the ashen benches and pulled out Ash's scroll from her pocket. Zwei jumped up on the bench with her and just lay there as if to go to sleep.

She raised a hand and scratched the top of the corgi's head lightly as she continued to explore Ash's scroll. The first thing that she opened was Ash's Aura level, her curiosity of what he's doing suddenly getting to her. She blinked thrice as she saw his Aura level very nearly depleted, with only a percentage or so appearing on it. If she was right and Ash was still at Beacon, then something horrible must've happened, perhaps angering his sister or Glynda. However, if she was wrong and Ash was else where, then her chances of seeing him again either just depleted, or had just barely escaped certain death.

Her heart began to race at the thought of his death. His many untimely deaths in her dreams began to berate her again: from her being the one that killed him or him fighting to the very end, never backing down, just to protect her. Zwei lifted his head and looked at her. He whined and licked the palm of her hand to get her attention, successful as she looked to him with a worried expression.

"You've never met him, or maybe I should say you've _yet_ to meet him," Weiss told the dog, not caring whether or not he could actually understand her. He continued to whine, pressing his nose against her palm. She appreciated his attempt, scratching the area in between his ears to show her gratitude towards him. "He's the most annoyingly loyal person I've ever met in my life. Somehow, he seemed to think that sacrificing himself is the sole purpose of his existence. Isn't he an idiot?"

Zwei yelped once in agreement, panting happily, causing Weiss to laugh slightly. For some reason or another, she began to slightly compare Zwei and Ash. Both were devoted to their supposed master. One of them was able to handle Grimm better than the other, while she can only assume that the other can handle humans and Faunus better. One of them was loveable whereas the other one may possibly have more enemies than any of them could possibly count. One had never angered Yang… probably, while the other had done on a daily basis for a week straight. The only other similarity the two had was that they had at the very least some animal part on them.

"He is strong. Actually, he's probably the strongest person I've ever met before," she continued her one sided conversation, as she continued to play with the dog's head. Zwei lay back down, getting comfortable before she continued her story about Ash. "He beat Yang once you know. The thing is, he almost died several times when fighting the Grimm. It actually looks like he almost died again just now. He either lost all of his Aura just now or it only just began recovering. Here, look."

She turned the scroll towards the dog as he looked up at it. It almost actually seemed like he understood her. She unconsciously began to express her worry again; unable to stop herself from thinking of what may have happened. Zwei pushed his body from the bench and pounced towards the heiress, successfully knocking the scroll down to the ground.

"Hey! What'd you do that for?" Weiss immediately bent down to pick up the scroll, but Zwei beat her to it. With the tip of his nose, he efficiently maneuvered through the menus, until he found the numerous notes Ash had written. Weiss simply allowed him to work on the scroll, wondering how the corgi was well versed with the technology. After a minute or so, Zwei stepped away from the scroll and jumped back up on the bench, lying down next to Weiss once more. The heiress picked up the scroll and placed a hand on Zwei's head again, using her slender fingers to scratch and play with his ears. "Did you want me to read this? How would you even know what was written on here?"

Zwei didn't respond, only closing his eyes to mimic sleep. Weiss was left alone to read the note out loud or not, but a simple glance at the corgi, she knew that he wasn't asleep with his rapid breathing. Weiss smiled at the attempt for privacy, but knew what the dog wanted. She turned her attention to the scroll. From what she could tell, the note was written in the morning of her birthday.

"'I had a dream about Miss Schnee last night,'" she began to read, watching the corgi's ears wiggle as he kept them up to hear her better. If dogs could smile, she knew that this one was most definitely doing that. She continued to lightly rib his head, careful as to not create much sound to enable him to hear. "'It was definitely a strange one. She and I were dancing much like we've always done during balls and other formal parties, but this one was a masquerade. She wore a light blue dress and her identity was concealed with a white and silver mask, but I knew who she was. On the other, I was dressed in a formal suit as always, but unlike the others in the ballroom, I was wearing a white full, face mask, where not even my eyes were able to seen from the outside. I can only assume it was some sort of visor that allowed me to see from the inside.'"

Weiss stopped reading for a moment, smiling at the similar dream she'd had the last Valentine's Day, when she was still in Atlas. She turned to Zwei and watched his ears twitch in irritation that she stopped reading. She could almost laugh, but slightly fearing that if she did, she might be attacked much like Lava earlier. She turned her attention back to the scroll and continued to read out loud.

"'I wasn't sure if she knew that it was me, for all I know, she might've. There were differences though. For one, we both looked older, several years older, maybe ten years. And what's more, she was married," Weiss, once more stopped reading. She'd never thought of being married before, much less have a dream about it, but it seemed that Ash had. Curiosity took over and her eyes darted around the note, reading it silently, that is until Zwei began to growl. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry. 'On her left hand was a silver wedding band. I didn't know whom she was married to, but it seemed like she was happy. It was when she leaned in and kissed my mask where my lips would've been did I finally notice my left hand. Unlike before, my hands weren't covered in gloves, and on my left ring finger was a similar silver wedding band. I was her husband.'"

Weiss had to stop reading in slight embarrassment. She didn't know why Ash had been dreamt of them as husband and wife, maybe as a couple but no more than that. Granted, the two of them had shared a kiss before, but becoming more than just friends has only crossed her mind. She turned back to the scroll when Zwei began to lightly growl again.

"'It's been a while since I've even thought of such a thing. She and I live in different worlds, I've known that for years, so one would think that such a dream wouldn't have such an effect on me. However, I woke up this morning wishing that such a thing were true. She's my mistress, and I'm her servant. That's all we'll ever be. Moreover, if she ever finds out about my Faunus heritage, I fear for the worst. She can never know about my infatuation with her. At most, all I'm able to do is continue to love her from afar, be it in life or in death.'"

The note seemed to end after that, and Weiss put the scroll down on the bench in between her and Zwei. She retracted her hands back to her side and steadied herself. She could feel her heart hammering away at her ribs, and hear her pulse. A part of her regrets reading the note, the action only proving to make her guiltier for sending him away, whereas the other half wished that she'd read it earlier. She looked to Zwei who had already stood up and was now sitting on the bench, watching her for a reaction. Unable to stop herself, she pulled the corgi into an embrace, needing something to hold on to as if it'd help keep her anchored to the world.

Zwei yelped once more and attracted Weiss' attention. He wiggled out of her arms and barked at the scroll on the bench once. Weiss picked the scroll up and stared at it. Zwei pounced on her, knocking the scroll to the ground and jumped down to it again. With the tip of his nose, he scrolled down and jumped back up on the bench, leaving Weiss to look at the scroll with one final line written down at the very bottom, concealed by the seemingly endless blank space. She picked it up and continued to read.

"'Why did I have to fall for such a foolish heiress? I fear that should I ever be given the opportunity, I would never let her go.'"


	31. Family, Huh?

"Come on Mister Arc, I know you can do better. Don't just swing wildly," Ash instructed as he dodged another one of Jaune's attacks. They've already been at it for several hours taking a couple breaks when the blonde had gotten too frustrated. Unlike Weiss, Ash didn't use Jaune's frustration to train him, not immediately anyway. He forced the session to a stop before it broke the leader. "I know we're only using wooden swords, but that doesn't mean you have to disregard all your training."

Jaune and Ash were back in the training area with the rest of Team JNPR and Lava just watching on the side. Pyrrha remained in her armor with her weapons strapped to her back, and was periodically shouting instructions at Jaune: dodge, attack in a certain way, raise his shield to block, anything to help get him the advantage or at least keep up with his opponent. She didn't care that Ash could hear her as well; trusting the dragon to catch on to what she was trying to do. And he did just that. After the first couple of times, Ash began to zone her out, ignoring her instructions to Jaune. Nora was cheering them on as much as she could, trying to boost Jaune's spirit and hopefully encourage him to fight harder, but would quiet down momentarily when Ash landed a counter. Ren and Lava were almost like mannequins, only standing there, almost motionless, merely watching the two train, criticizing each mistake and burning into their memory Ash's mixed fighting style. To their side, leaning against the elevated stage that served as the arena was the blade of Crocea Mors.

It had been almost half an hour since their last break, and Jaune's numerous failed attacks have been frustrating him again, making his swings now heavily telegraphed and forcing him to forgo all forms of defense. He tried to land a blow to the dragon's head with an overhead attack, but Ash jumped back, causing the wooden sword to hit the ground with an echoing crack. Once he landed, Ash rushed forward, stopped two steps in front of Jaune, and performed a backflip, making sure to extend his right leg to deliver a blow to Jaune's chin, knocking Jaune into the air.

Ash landed a few feet back, and Jaune was knocked back a few feet as well, but was relatively undamaged. He immediately pushed himself up and got back into a fighting stance. Ash rushed him again, but didn't attack; only closing the distance between them so they could engage one another again. Jaune swung wildly in front of him to try and deter Ash from getting to close, which succeeded in some way. Ash stopped and even took two steps back, but the moment he could, Ash ducked in and got within arm's reach of Jaune again. In a panic, the blonde swung his shield at him, trying to bash his shield against Ash's shoulder, and when that missed, he tried to do the same to Ash's chest. The shield bash connected, pushing the dragon away with a loud metallic thud.

Jaune tried to capitalize on this and attacked while Ash was off balance. He brought the wooden sword to his side and brought it up with a swing, aiming to drive it from Ash's left hip to his left shoulder. Ash let his body fall further and turned so that his body was parallel to the wall with his left side closest to the ground. Seeing Jaune's attack, he spun his body away from it, just barely having the wood scratch his side. Once the attack was complete, Ash extended his left hand and when it touched the ground, he used it to push himself up, swinging his legs away from Jaune to create enough momentum to get some distance between them.

Ash had stopped attacking a while earlier, there was no one in the room that didn't already know that. The session now was nothing more than a messed up game of dodgeball. He fought instinct to disarm the blonde in anyway he could which would more than likely end the session. Though now that Jaune's frustration is beginning to show on his face and movements, he began to think that maybe ending the session then would be the best course of action. He didn't have much time to think about it as Jaune ran in to attack.

Jaune raised the wooden sword well above his head and brought it down on his opponent, much like Nora would with her hammer. Ash let out a quick sigh and jumped back, completely dodging the wooden weapon and having it hit the ground in failure. Before Jaune could bring his weapon and body back up, Ash lunged forward once the tip of his shoes made contact with the ground and stepped on the middle of the wooden sword, successfully getting it out of the blonde's grip. He brought the tip of his wooden sword to Jaune forehead and paused there.

"Let's take a five minute break, shall we?" Ash asked, bringing his sword back to his side and taking a step back. Jaune tried to go for his weapon, now that Ash wasn't on it, but before he could grip it, Ash kicked the tip of the sword to the side, getting it out of Jaune's reach. "We're taking a break, Mister Arc. We'll go over what went wrong in the meantime."

"I can still keep going!" Jaune announced, his tone and voice dripping with his frustration. He straightened his back, and faced down Ash, raising his shield to defend against Ash's attacks, hopefully giving him enough time to retrieve the wooden sword. However, Ash refused to attack, and even refused to return into a fighting stance. "Come on! Attack. I said I could still keep going."

"And I know you can, anyone can see that fact," he replied, still refusing to do as the blonde asked. Ash walked over to Jaune's wooden sword and picked it up, making his way to their spectators with both swords in one hand. "However, that doesn't change the fact that we're taking a break. Now come on."

Jaune begrudgingly followed Ash, retuning his shield back into its sheath form. Throughout their entire session, he'd only managed to his Ash once, but now he couldn't help but think that the dragon only allowed himself to get hit out of pity. And in their most recent session, Ash almost completely refused to attack. He'd only attack three times, but all three times were successful in finding their target. His hands curled into fists until his knuckles were white, as his frustration continued to grow; completely unaware that Ash took note of this simple movement.

Ash sat down on one of the spectator chairs close to the rest of Team JNPR and his sister, placing the training weapons on the side, leaning against the chair's armrest. He let out a sigh, as his muscles were finally able to relax again. Jaune, on the other hand, took his place next to his team, looking at Ash, waiting for him to start their training session again. However, minutes passed, and the male dragon hardly let out even so much as an audible breath. He was only relaxed on the chair, with his back resting against the backrest and his head slightly looking up with his eyes closed, giving off the expression that he was actually asleep to anyone who only came across the congregation of students.

"You're doing fine," Pyrrha reassured her partner when the silence had finally gotten to awkward and thick for her to take any longer. Jaune didn't respond in words, only giving her an appreciative smile for her sentiment even though he knew that she was only lying. "You really are, trust me. You're getting faster and faster each time."

"I'd have to agree," Ash announced, with his eyes still closed and his head still pointed at the ceiling. Jaune glared at the male dragon, feeling that he was only mocking him. Though he knew that both Pyrrha and Ash had more fighting experience that him, crediting them to know exactly what they were praising him for, it had a different feeling from both. "We've been sparring for nearly five hours now, and yet it doesn't seem like you're exhausted. In our most recent session, it may not seem important to you, but there was hardly ever a moment that you stopped attacking. That is both your strength and weakness."

"He's right," Pyrrha said, placing a hand on her partner's shoulder. Jaune's eyebrows were crunched together, confused by what they meant. Throughout his life, he'd always been told to stray away from what made him weak so that he could be the knight he'd always dreamed to be, and yet here were two people now that completely contradicted it. "You may have enough stamina to keep your attack going. While that's a good thing, you also tend to abandon your entire defense. Remember your training with me. I've always had you do a few quick and precise strikes at a time to train you to think that way more often, and it seems you still have room to improve."

"Sorry, now I kinda feel like I'm just wasting your time," Jaune said awkwardly, scratching the back of his head while his heart thumped against his chest. He shifted awkwardly before looking to Ash for some form of escape. "Ash, I'm good to go, so whenever you're ready."

"Please, Mister Arc, a little more time," Ash pleaded, finally opening his eyes and pushing himself off the chair. He took the time to stretch his spine before addressing the group again. "Actually, let me be more specific. I'll be taking a break for a little while longer. You, on the other hand, will continue to spar against Miss Nikos. I want to see the way she trains you."

"But I thought you wanted me to experience a change of pace? That I'm getting used to fighting Pyrrha?" Jaune asked as they watched Ash walk over to Crocea Mors' blade, pick it up, and toss it to Jaune. He caught it easily with a single hand, slightly impressed with himself thinking that if it were him when he first came to Beacon, he'd have to depend on large sums of luck if he wanted to catch it with two hands. "And I know you're not tired, so why?"

"The point of these breaks are to refresh you as it'll only hinder your progress if you continue with that ever building frustration," the dragon explained as he made his way back to his seat. Once more, he relaxed into the seat as much as he could, patiently waiting for the partners to enter the arena. "Well, that and I am deathly afraid of Glynda. She said that she'll train me tonight and I'll be running the perimeter Beacon at the very least. By this point, you should all already know that she meant she'd be delivering me to death's door for sure."

Neither Jaune nor Pyrrha wanted to question him any further after seeing the absolutely horrified look on their friend's face. They took their places inside the arena and both took a balanced defensive stance, sizing each other up before they begin like always. Their stances were similar, swords slightly raised to their sides, completely relaxed, able to move in any direction their owner choose to swing. Their shields were raised up in front of them in a moment's notice they began under Ash's scrutinizing gaze.

Jaune would be the first to strike, swinging his trusted blade from his right to his left with a perfectly horizontal slice, cutting the air smoothly, not even able to feel the resistance of the wind. However, it was easily telegraphed to his much more experienced opponent. Pyrrha raised her shield even further to meet the strike, and ducked down a little, directing her energy to her left arm and right leg. When blade met shield, she was able to not only deflect the attack, but kept her stance in a balanced state as well with her right leg countering the momentum transferred to her from the strike. Before Jaune could retract his sword arm back to his side, Pyrrha swung with hers. Granted her swing was heavily restrained and weakened by both her choosing to do so and her energy yet to return to it. The blonde had seen the strike countless times before and was prepared for it. Like his partner, he lowered his shield slightly to meet the lower strike. However, unlike Pyrrha, he did not deflect the blow, only blocking it, taking on whatever momentum that came along with it.

With her strike going by unchallenged, she swung at her partner once more. Like he'd done before Jaune raised his shield to meet the swing. The numerous nights that he had trained with her, he'd only been able stay on the defensive. Any chance he takes to attack had somehow always led to failure or even left him open for a counter. This time he was determined to get somewhere, or at the very least last longer, therefore even after blocking the attack, he refused to launch one of his own.

Pyrrha narrowed her eyes at her partner, trying to decipher what he was trying to do, a notion that Ash took note of. She tightened her grip on her weapon and shield just in case Jaune managed to siphon some of Ash's unpredictability while he fought him. However, Jaune refused to launch an attack, and it didn't seem like he was going to attack any time soon. In an attempt to coerce him to attack, Pyrrha lowered her guard and purposely left some crack in her guard. But Jaune still refused to attack.

Once more, Pyrrha attacked, albeit slowly in hopes that it'll entice the blonde to action. The swing was directed straight to his shield. To Pyrrha, the swing took forever to reach its target, but once it finally did, it just bounced off the shield like two opposing magnetic forces. Slightly frustrated at the leader's sloth, Pyrrha continued her slow attacks, striking at her leader whilst he continued to only block all of them. Jaune left his sword to his side, and only moved his shield arm in the direction of the incoming blow. Planting his feet flat on the ground and focusing most of his energy to his legs, Jaune resisted each blow, not allowing his body to move even a millimeter and give Pyrrha some ground on him.

"Miss Nikos, hold on for a moment if you would," Ash spoke up, pushing himself off his chair and making his way to the edge of the arena. Pyrrha halted her attack and Jaune got out of his defensive stance. They both turned towards their audience, only to be met with stares of confusion and disapproval. "Mister Arc, if I may be so frank. Why is it that you've stopped attacking? I'm sure there must be some in depth reason as to why you've suddenly decided to forgo all forms of offense for the sake of defense."

There was clear disapproving sarcasm in his tone, something that not even the usually oblivious Jaune Arc could ignore. Ash pushed himself up on the arena with a scowl, headed straight for the blonde.

"I know that I can't beat Pyrrha, so I'm, at least, going to last longer. Or I'm trying to anyway," he explained as he, and the others, nervously watched Ash get closer to him. Ash's scowl remained, looking the blonde over from head to toe, inspecting every single bit of the armor he has on before landing his gaze straight on Crocea Mors. Without saying a single word, Ash took hold of the shield and ripped it out of its owner's shield arm, before walking back to his seat. "Hey! What are you doing?"

"Making sure that you learn, at least, something in all of this. Or I'm trying to anyway," Ash mocked as he placed the shield next to the wooden swords leaning against his chair. He sat back down and returned his gaze to the two in the arena. It was plainly obvious to anyone that Jaune was, at the moment, displeased with the dragon, but he knew that there was hardly a thing he can do about it. "Now, Miss Nikos won't be able to aim for you guard, and you can't simply hide behind a shield like a child. Oh and Mister Arc, you have my permission to forgo offense this time around."

Jaune didn't understand why the dragon suddenly became his enemy. At first, he wanted Jaune to get rid of his frustration, and yet only a few minutes later did he make it his goal to frustrate him further. The mocking tone of his voice and the satisfied grin on Ash's face only served as more fuel to Jaune's frustration. Jaune's grip on his sword tightened until his fingertips, being the only ones visible with his gloves on, turned noticeably paler. Jaune turned back to his partner, who already looked ready to keep their training going.

That was another aspect of the situation that bothered Jaune: why did it seem like, along with Ash, Pyrrha was against him? She didn't even question when Ash took away his shield, and didn't hesitate to return to a fighting stance once Ash had given them permission. Though now wasn't the time to ask. He knew that if he continued to pursue the thought, Pyrrha would be free to attack him whilst he had no form of defense. He grabbed his sword's handle with both hands and placed it in front of him. With two hands, he should be able to block Pyrrha's attacks and possibly even have an easier time to deflect them… if he were to consign becoming Ash's puppet that is. With a single frustrated scream, Jaune attacked.

He brought his sword down on his partner, planning to show both her and Ash that he is more than he was before, more than the usual screw-up-Jaune that he was when he first arrived at Beacon. Pyrrha raised her shield to meet the strike and braced herself for the impact. When shield and blade met, the force transferred to her was more than she expected, needing to use her semblance for a brief moment to push the blade back before it can continue to push her even more. Once she felt her partner's weapon lose most of its momentum, she pushed it away with her shield and jumped back before Jaune could throw another surprise into their fight.

She returned into a fighting stance as fast she could, placing her shield in front of her, as close to her body as she was comfortable with to better see her partner's movements. To make their training sessions as fair as possible, she'd always stuck with Miló's sword form, but with Jaune's sudden burst of strength she had to resist the near overwhelming urge of morphing Miló into a rifle to keep him at bay while she devised a plan, now seeing the blonde as an opponent instead of her training partner or her student. In the corner of her eye, she could see Ash smiling victoriously as if a fighter who knew that he or she had already won.

Pyrrha knew why Ash took Jaune's shield away, in fact she could confidently guess that the only who didn't was Jaune himself. The dragon wanted to teach the leader how to fight, not hide hoping to survive. However, using Jaune's already peaked, and now overflowing, frustration was something she'd never thought of doing. Nevertheless, she trusted Ash enough to know what he was doing, and the result of it was that strike. Now, as much as she wanted to continue using it, the fear of breaking her bond with the blonde kicked the thought out of her mind and screamed at her to focus on the battle.

Jaune rushed in knowing that Pyrrha was waiting for him to attack, not wanting to be the one to instigate a clash between them. A step before he and Pyrrha met, he focused his energy on his legs, and stepped in as hard as he could, only relying on his momentum to deliver as powerful of a blow as he could muster. Once again, Pyrrha raised her shield and blocked the blow, less surprised by the force exerted, though still somewhat surprised. She couldn't deflect the attack, only relying on her strength to block the attack. When she felt the force slacken and the blade was taken away, she lowered her shield and prepared to attack, but was met with the sight of yet another attack from Jaune. The shock of finding herself suddenly open to an attack, she couldn't help her instincts from taking over, using her semblance to deflect the attack slightly as to not drain her Aura immensely. She'd never had to try very hard with him as her opponent, and yet at the same time, he'd never managed to push her so far.

Jaune recovered quickly from his failed attack and swung again. It was reckless and easily predictable, but swift, as if the blade had always been meant to cut the air wherever it went. There was no drag –no resistance – only a satisfying reverberating sound as the air hopelessly struggled to bend the blade. Once again, Pyrrha was forced to jump back. When Jaune completed his attack, the vacuum his blade created as it went through suddenly closed, blasting Mistral's champion with a gust of wind.

He chased after Pyrrha again, already in the process of swinging, letting instinct take over instead of letting his fear of performance and disappointing his friends force him into a submissive form of defense. He was barely even aware of what he was doing, only realizing his actions well after he's already done them, almost as if watching someone else fight: reckless, but strong.

Pyrrha met his attack with one of her own, not wanting to be relegated to hiding behind her shield like her partner had done a few minutes, not wanting to set a bad example for what Ash was trying to do. The blades bounced off each other and as she was ready to swing again, Jaune was already going in for another attack. This time, she raised her shield and tried to push the blade away as it made contact, but the moment he felt his blow lose its momentum, he pushed his body forward, bending his arm and slammed his shoulder against her shield, successfully pushing her back and allowing himself to attack another time. This was the first time that he'd managed to do so well against Pyrrha, and he knew that if he were to stop himself now, there was no way he'd be able to develop such a flow again. His attacks may not be connecting, but he was pushing her back, possibly even unnerving her. However, even with the success, he couldn't help but feel guilty that he was using his partner to vent out his frustration.

Jaune continued to attack, swing after swing, never tiring, and it seemed to only get faster. Pyrrha was left on the defensive, blocking, deflecting attack after attack with her shield, sword, and semblance, only jumping back a few times to ensure that Jaune doesn't get too caught up in his momentum, preventing her from escaping. Jaune raised his sword well above his shoulders and brought it down as fast and as hard as he could on Pyrrha.

Seeing this, Pyrrha stood her ground, planting both feet flat on the ground and steadying her entire being. Just before the blade could get to her, she swung her shield at the broadside of the sword, making sure to use her semblance on her shield to propel it towards the blade and on Jaune's sword to further push it to the side. Unable to do much else, Jaune's entire body followed his trusted blade to the side, not wanting to let it go and engage Pyrrha in hand-to-hand combat. Pyrrha jumped away as fast as she could, readying herself for the inevitability of Jaune charging after her.

As she predicted, Jaune leapt after her the moment he had control of his sword hand again, swinging swiftly, trying to drive his sword from her left shoulder to her right hip. Pyrrha jerked her head back, allowing her body to be dragged along with it, just barely dodging the attack. While Jaune was still retracting his arm back to him, Pyrrha spun and slammed her shield against Jaune's shoulder, knocking the boy off balance before she quickly ducked close to the floor, swiping her leg to get Jaune on the ground. Before he could recover, she scrambled over to him and whilst kneeling next to him, brought the tip of her sword towards his neck, with the tip just underneath his chin.

"Now, let's end that where it is shall we?" Ash announced, already on the arena making his way to the two of them with Jaune's shield in hand. Pyrrha stood up and extended a hand to Jaune. With a sigh, he took it and she helped him up. He dusted himself and looked to Pyrrha. His frustration was still present, but much less so, having spent it on the training session. "Well Mister Arc? Feeling refreshed?"

"What do you think?" Jaune responded with venom in his voice. He had meant it to be threatening, but the dragon only laughed at the attempt. Ash handed Jaune back his shield and the blonde immediately took it and turned it back into a sheath, putting his blade back in before hanging it around his hip again. Once satisfied, he turned back towards Ash with a less than pleased expression. "Why did you have us do that? What would've been different if you hadn't taken my shield?"

"You would've hid," Ash simply and innocently explained. Jaune waited for a better explanation, but never got it. Instead, Ash turned to Pyrrha with a smile, giving the girl a gratuitous nod. Pyrrha returned the gesture and sheathed her weapon and shield behind her back once more. "Miss Nikos, what is your opinion on Mister Arc's progress thus far?"

"He's never attacked like that before," Pyrrha admitted, looking to her partner with a smile. He had a look of bewilderment at the statement, staring wide-eyed at his partner as if wondering whether or not she was complementing him, even if it didn't seem like she was. She gave him a quick nod, before turning back to Ash. "Usually it's not a good thing to train when you're frustrated, but you forced him to anyway. How'd you know he was going to act the way he did?"

"Because Miss Schnee once used my frustration to train me, as well," he explained, thinking back on his final night as a Beacon student. Unconsciously, he closed his hands into tight fists before opening them, only to the same thing over and over again. He could still remember the feeling of the metal alloy training dummies against his armored hands, but he could also remember the way Weiss ordered him to forget his infatuation for her soon after that. "Granted, at that time, I was up against mere training dummies, I figured I didn't have the luxury of time to properly enjoy these sessions of ours. And speaking of time, I believe I see the sun is beginning to set, let's resume tomorrow shall we?"

"Ash, I… I just wanted to say… thanks," Jaune said awkwardly, scratching the back of his head with his right hand and awkwardly gripping Crocea Mors' handle and pommel with his left hand. Ash smiled and bowed to him in response, as his way of saying something along the lines of 'no hard feelings.' However, Jaune couldn't help but let his curiosity get the better of him. "You were actually holding back against me weren't you? Do you think I actually had a chance of beating you?"

"I know that you had a chance Mister Arc," Ash replied proudly, taking a step forward and placing a hand on Jaune's shoulder. He smiled at the leader, taking in his stunned expression. Jaune's eyes seemed to glow and shake and his mouth dangled slightly open. "Your chances may have been low as of now, but it was definitely present. I know that you have a chance to win against Miss Nikos as well. If only you had, perhaps, a year more of training, I know you would be a force to reckon with. Remember your session against Miss Nikos. By tomorrow's end, you'll be able to attack the same way, but with actual precision and without having need to throw away your defense."

"Maybe I'll be able to beat Cardin too," Jaune said jokingly as Ash took several steps back from him. Pyrrha playfully nudged Jaune's shoulder with her own and the three of them shared a brief moment of laughter. "So what are you gonna do now?"

"I figure I'd return the training swords back to Glynda," Ash said, motioning towards the two wooden swords leaning against a chair's armrest with his head. After Jaune and Pyrrha turned back to him after looking at the training swords, he grabbed his hoodie and pulled it away from his abdomen as much as the cloth would allow him. The hoodie stuck to his skin and slightly uncomfortably so as it was pulled away from him. It felt prickly especially with the alloy zipper. "Perhaps I could even take a shower before she works me to death tonight. But more importantly, maybe I can siphon another shirt from her. My previous one was suddenly turned into a rag mere hours after I'd gotten it."

"I can take care of that," Lava suddenly chimed in excitedly. The thought of playing dress up with her brother instead of a doll was something she'd dreamed of ever since she was a child, though now, the only shirts that she had access to were the ones that she owned, ones that she would wear when it was blistering hot. However, even with that said, even those had zippers on the back for her wings, but luckily there was another set she can peruse through. "I'm sure Aaron wouldn't mind giving you a shirt, you guys are about the same size too so it should be all good."

"If Mister Shader is all right with it, then I accept," Ash made his way to the chair he was sat on and picked up the two wooden swords with one hand.

With a single goodbye to each of them and a quick discussion with his sister, Ash exited the room first, headed straight to Glynda's room where he hoped that professor was waiting for him. Even with his hood covering his features and the lack of students in Beacon, there was still danger of being spotted and recognized, forcing him to be more wary of his surroundings much like when he was Ashley Schnee.

He made it to the professor's room without much incident, only stopping for a few minutes and being forced to go a different route when he found Team CFVY returning from a mission. They looked dead tired, but even then he had no doubt that if he'd gotten closer, Fox Alistair would be able to pick up his scent with no problem. If any of them find him now, suspicion would be raised and he'd have to tell more people his plan three months from then. He knocked on the door and waited for a few minutes before the door opened wide. Inside the room, he found Glynda holding the door open from him, as calm and stoic as ever, and further inside the room was Ozpin sat on a chair with a clear red print of Glynda's hand on his left cheek. Ash raised an eyebrow in suspicion, but before he could ask whatever went on between the two, Glynda used her semblance to pull him into the room and closed the door once he was clear of it.

"Take a shower. You reek of sweat and blood," Glynda simply said, using her semblance once more to slam a towel against Ash's face. Ash immediately ripped the towel from his face and looked to Glynda, slightly terrified. Glynda looked at him with a glare before pointing to the bathroom door. "Go take a shower. Professor Ozpin and I have some things to discuss. Once you're ready we'll begin."

Without saying even a 'hello' to the old professor, Ash entered the bathroom and got ready to take a shower, only able to hear Glynda saying something along the lines of defining the word 'convince.' There was never a time he had been more thankful to not be the one Glynda was talking to at the moment, and even as he was stripping the gauze from his chest and was given full view of the scars he'd garnered, he came to the conclusion that receiving such wounds again would be better than dealing with an angry and disappointed Glynda Goodwitch.

* * *

With the sun already half gone in the horizon, Doctor Oobleck called the girls of Team RWBY and Zwei to set up camp. They'd already found a camp location inside a destroyed building on the second floor with a view of the city and the entrance to the building they were in should the creatures of Grimm decide to try and hunt them down. By the time the team had gotten there, the doctor had already started a campfire and set up his sleeping area on a higher platform.

"Miss Schnee, would you be so kind to accompany me for a few minutes," Doctor Oobleck asked, standing by the doorway that leads to the outside while the girls were in the middle of preparing for the night. They'd stop for the moment and looked at each other before looking at their professor. Weiss gave the doctor a nod before putting down her sleeping mat on the ground near the campfire. "The rest of you try and secure the area even more after you finish setting up camp. We won't take long."

Weiss followed Doctor Oobleck outside and together they scouted their perimeter, searching for any Grimm or Grimm nest to get rid of. Team RWBY and Zwei had already taken care of countless of Grimm in the area, but with how the Grimm were somehow attracted to the ruined city, no one would feel completely safe. They eventually reached the edge of the city and took in the sight of open grasslands dyed in orange against the setting sun with gigantic Grimm traveling in a herd of a little less than a dozen, casting their shadow on the land.

"Goliaths," the old caffeinated man told Weiss not even bothering to check whether or not she knew what they were. He only looked to the towering Grimm in awe, fighting off the desire to study them further for future reference. "Tell me Miss Schnee, what do you know about those creatures?"

"Not much I'm afraid," Weiss honestly replied. In truth, she had no interest in learning about Grimm behavioral tendencies. In her opinion, any piece of information that isn't about Grimm weaknesses and how to quickly and efficiently kill them, it was needless information. "All I know is that there aren't many reports of anyone being injured by them even though they're arguably the strongest amongst the creatures of Grimm."

"That is because unlike any other Grimm, Goliaths aren't driven by instinct alone," the doctor answered, adjusting his glasses as one of the Goliaths seemed to have turned to them and glared before rejoining its herd. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Weiss turn to him with a confused expression, slightly surprised by the new piece of information. "After living for hundreds of years, Goliaths have developed an understanding of the conflict between their kind and humans and Faunus. They know that if they engage us, it'll only lead to more needless death, but that doesn't stop them from staying near the city borders. It's that intelligence that puts them closest to us. It gives them something close to the feeling we call family."

"Family huh?" Weiss echoed, paying closer attention to the herd of Goliaths. Sure enough, they were not only walking together, but they were also playing with each other using their tusks and trunks, and the smaller ones were surrounded by the bigger ones as if to protect them. It was different from the family that she knew. "I guess the word is defined differently for us and them."

"There is no other definition for the feeling, only different families. Isn't Ash family to you?" Doctor Oobleck preached mindlessly. Weiss visibly flinched at the question causing the professor to suddenly turn, thinking that something had attacked her. It was only a moment later that he had realized what he'd done wrong. "I apologize Miss Schnee, that was careless of me. I didn't mean to bring up such a sensitive subject. It was only the first thing that came to mind."

"It's all right doctor," Weiss tried to quickly defuse, but couldn't help the rising feeling of her guilt. There was a minute of awkward silence between the two, with the other unable to say anything that could make the situation better. She reached into her pocket and pulled out one of Ash's normal black gloves, imagining that there was some residual warmth left from Ash's hand. "I should be the one apologizing. He was your favorite student. Anyone at Beacon could see that. To be honest, it almost seems like he was the only who could keep up or even rival you."

"Yes, it was frustrating to meet a student that I could barely teach and could very well be the one to teach me," the older man joked, smiling at the thought of the student. A feeling of guilt slightly rose in his chest. Whereas he could smile at the thought of the dragon, his student could only feel melancholy. However, he couldn't help his curiosity. "Weiss, where is he? If you could meet again, the two of you could settle your differences."

"He's at Beacon right now," the heiress answered honestly, looking to the direction of the academy. She gripped his glove tight, as something grabbed hold of her heart as equally tight. "Granted, I don't know for sure, and this is nothing more than a gut feeling, but at least, he was there this morning. Ruby knows for sure, but she won't talk, nor will I force her to. He wanted to stay hidden for a reason. I'll respect that at the very least. However, I'll find him soon. That I can promise."

"And when you do? What'll you do then?" the doctor continued to ask. Weiss was silent, unable to immediately answer. Unable to help himself, Oobleck decided to help at least single out the possibilities, even if the heiress would end up annoyed by them. "Will you ask him to return being your servant once more? Or perhaps leave things as it is now?"

"I don't know yet," Weiss answered, hiding her slight displeasure at being forced to acknowledge her indecision. But unlike her, there were two people that had already made up their minds about the dragon's future. There was Winter's message to him, to have him work for her as her assistant once again, only this time permanently. There was also the message from Ash's mother, cryptic as it was. "Maybe it would be better to just leave things as is. Being my servant again seems to be well out of reach. I don't deserve it anymore."

The two of them began to make their way back to the camp, only to be met with the rest of Team RWBY on the way with a state of urgency in their eyes. Before either Weiss or the professor could say something, Ruby and Yang grabbed them by the arm and dragged them to the corner of a nearby ruined building, planting their backs flat against the wall. Blake was at the edge, peering out from the corner, keeping watchful eye on whatever it was they were hiding from. Once more, the doctor tried to speak, but was silence when Ruby slapped her hand against his mouth, while she put a finger to her lips with the other. They waited for a moment, with Yang periodically looking towards Blake to see if she'd moved, then that moment turned into minutes. After roughly ten minutes had passed, Blake turned around and gave them a nod before joining them.

"They're gone for now, but they didn't go far so keep your voices down," she told them, her voice in a whisper. Whatever it was, she was worried, that was clear. At every single sound, no matter how small and insignificant, her cat ears would twitch under her bow. "We're sorry doctor, but we won't be camping tonight."

"What is going on? What has you all so nervous?" Doctor Oobleck asked, whispering even though his patience was very rapidly wearing thin. Yang gave Blake a nod, and the Faunus returned to the corner of the building occasionally peering out. "I need an answer now."

"You guys found them didn't you?" Weiss asked once she realized what was wrong with her team. Ruby nodded with slight fear present within her usually stunning silver eyes. The doctor cleared his throat once and Weiss let out a sigh, unable to hide their actual goal from him any longer. "Doctor Oobleck, we accepted this mission because for the past month, we've been running around Vale trying to track down the White Fang. We'd learned only recently that they may be based here in Mountain Glenn somewhere."

"And whatever they're doing here, it's nothing we will like," Yang explained, stealing glances at her partner for any changes. When nothing came up she turned back to the rest of the team and the professor to continue explaining. "We just saw them bringing in a huge amount of Dust crates into a hole. We had Blake go there to check it out and she said she saw train tracks. Train tracks that could maybe go directly to Vale."

"This is beyond what our mission is team. Professor Ozpin will not like us defecting from our original mission like this," the doctor relayed to them with a stoic expression. However, that stoic expression very quickly turned into a smile. "That's why we have to stop their operation before they could put whatever their planning into action."

"What do we do?" Ruby asked. Even though she was team leader, there was only so much she could do with something she doesn't know anything about. Weiss smiled as a thought came into her head.

"Easy, we blow it all up."


	32. You've Finally Become A Hunter

Surprisingly, sneaking around the ruined underground train tracks of Mountain Glenn crawling with more than likely at least a hundred White Fang members with a group consisting of five people and an over active corgi was easier said than done. Who knew right? Having only one known entrance and exit also didn't help. Luckily, there was someone who knew how to sneak around in the shadows and take out half a dozen White Fang members one by one without even rousing a fly's attention. This, of course, was Zwei.

All Ruby had to do was say something as simple as 'Go, boy," was enough for the corgi to understand that she would like him to take out as many guards at the entrance that he could see and do so like a ninja. Again, who knew? With the guards out of the way, Team RWBY, Doctor Oobleck and Zwei had absolutely no trouble getting in, but as soon as they did, they caught sight of exactly what they were dealing with.

The supposed ruined substation was more or less intact, unlike the buildings on the surface. Granted, there were still signs on charring on the buildings, along with moss on the surfaces that seemed to have escaped the fire that burned the rest. The railway was the most pristine, seemingly undamaged with hardly any rust ruining it. On those tracks were train cars after train cars glowing with several different types of Dust Crystals and even more that's yet to be loaded on to it in hundreds, if not thousands of crates, stacked together nearby. Around all of these, guarding every single corner of the large cavern like area, were more members of the White Fang. Some of them were piloting dozens of the stolen Atlesian Paladins, using them as either heavily armored or heavily armed guards or as forklifts, loading more Dust crates onto the train.

And it was understandable why the White Fang chose such a place as their secret hideout. No one would be brave enough to thoroughly search the ruins of Mountain Glenn to even have a chance to find it, and even if there was someone like that, unless they were either Faunus or accompanied by one. The substation was dark, only illuminated by the low natural light of the Dust Crystals and a few hanging lights on the ceiling, but they provided very minimal amounts of light. With the Faunus' ability to see in the dark, the White Fang would have the advantage in seeing intruders before the intruders see them, theoretically anyway. The only area that even a human can properly see in is around the train where the majority of the White Fang's numbers are concentrated. The train and the crates were illuminated with countless mobile spotlights, differing in shapes and sizes, all powered by Dust-powered generators.

Blake was in front, guiding them all, being the only one that can see in the dark with all of them lying to the doctor, passing the ability off as eating tons of carrots when she was a child. Luckily, the doctor seemed to believe them, following close behind her along with the rest of the team. They all kept low, ducking behind whatever they could to avoid detection, with all of them keeping their eyes trained on Blake as to not lose her in the darkness. Blake, on the other hand, restrained herself from going further than what her friends, teacher, and Zwei could see, knowing that her curiosity would only land all of them in more trouble than they could possibly get out of. Whenever she'd see a patrol coming, she'd stop them and try to get rid of it without causing much commotion, but each time she heard two talking about the fall of Vale, Roman Torchwick, or Adam Taurus her curiosity would peak, urging her to suddenly reveal herself to them and ask for specifics, risking them calling for alarm.

No one knew how long they'd been sneaking around, how many members Blake had taken out, or how many times Yang had to hold Blake back when her curiosity peaked, but they'd finally managed to find a small and secluded spot to bunker down at, that still enabled them to continue to watch the area around the train for any movements the White Fang could make. Having possibly done the White Fang's job of ridding the area above of Grimm, no matter how untrained the members are, the girls of Team RWBY were already reaching their limit, and there was only so much that Doctor Oobleck could do against so many, especially with the Atlesian Paladins around, prototype or not.

They dared not make a fire in fear of someone seeing the low light, and with their current location disabling them from using them anyway, they all silence their scrolls or straight up turned them off. Instead, they only sat around, leaning uncomfortably against the walls, and sleeping as much as they could while one of them kept watch, eventually waking another to switch spots after a designated amount of time to keep it fair for everyone. First to keep watch was Doctor Oobleck himself, and hours later, he woke Ruby, then after hours more, Yang, and once more after a few more hours later, the brawler woke Weiss.

Already a few hours in on Weiss' watch, and there was yet to be any strange movement to be seen. Unlike the Beacon affiliates, the White Fang had been tirelessly loading Dust crates onto the train. The repetitive movement was played out so much that Weiss had actually caught herself falling asleep from boredom once or twice, but managed to re-awaken herself the moment her head fell. Despite having to exhaust almost all of her energy earlier on, these hours of motionless spectating was the most grueling of the entire mission. She and her team all knew of the possibility of the mission turning from the simple surveying of a ruined city to hunting down the White Fang, but in her head, Weiss had always thought the change to be more active.

As she continued to watch the White Fang work, she couldn't help but think of all of the Faunus that she's met throughout her years. Just a few months ago, she wanted nothing to do with them, only seeing them as nothing more that what her father wanted her and her siblings to see them as: lowly degenerates who were trying to siphon everything from the humans. As such, she'd always considered many of Atlas' streets, littered with homeless Faunus, as dirty and as places which she wouldn't ever let herself or anyone close to her so much as look at. Those who begged for simple change went ignored and sometimes stepped on for the meager amount of lien that they wanted. For all she knew, Ash could've been one of the Faunus that her family had done that to.

Ash. Once more, now that the thought of him has come up, she couldn't help but wonder about his well being, now and in the past. What happened to him earlier that drained his Aura? How much did he hat— dislike her now especially with what she'd ordered him to do? Will, sometime in the future, he somehow find himself amongst the White Fang? And if he does, will they have to fight him? Or could they even? The barrage of questions and possible futures kept her drowsiness at bay, but it was only a matter of time before it returned. As she was letting out yet another yawn, she heard shuffling behind her.

"Weiss," Blake called out in a whisper. The heiress turned to the sound of the cat Faunus' voice, slightly alarmed, but she immediately calmed down after catching sight of Blake. Blake held up her left hand in way of a silent apology before joining her teammate at her position, overlooking White Fang activity. "I'm guessing they're not doing anything that they weren't doing before?"

"Only loading the train," Weiss answered in an equally quiet tone of voice. The two of them turned back to the illuminated train, and simply watched the Faunus load more crates onto the train, as well as patrol the surrounding area, though relatively carelessly. If either Weiss or Blake were to guess, the patrol was just walking around, stretching their cramped legs before they went back to lazily guarding the train. "There's still an hour and half left for my watch. Go back to sleep."

"I'm fine. You, on the other hand, couldn't look any worse," Blake spoke out honestly. Weiss turned to her with her eyebrows furrowed in shock, completely spelling out her displeasure at being mocked. She was about to argue how she could even see her features well enough to say so in such a dark room, but immediately remembered that she was speaking to a Faunus. "Listen, I didn't say that just because you looked drowsy, but you had this worried look just now. Kinda like you were afraid of something, but you don't know what. Is everything all right?"

"Blake, why did you join the White Fang?" Weiss suddenly asked, figuring that this is the best opportunity that she could answer at least one of the questions running rampant in her head. The question caught the Faunus by surprise, visibly flinching when the heiress finished asking. "Not just you, but why does anyone join that terrorist organization?"

"The White Fang wasn't always what it is today," Blake argued, trying not to let the heiress' wording get to her like it had done before. She knew what Weiss meant, but with what they were free to witness at the time, she couldn't blame her teammate for wording it the way she did. "Before, the White Fang was just a peaceful organization doing nothing beyond just riots with picket signs. It was when the Fang went under new leadership that things became this way. As for reasons… Well, I can't say anything for the others, maybe that they joined because they wanted to make a difference. I guess you could say the same for me. I wanted equality, and just sitting there in my parents' living room wouldn't change a thing, so I decided to go out there and do whatever I could."

"What about now?" Weiss continued to ask, her voice beginning to quake as fear began to expand in her throat. With a slender finger, she pointed at the members near the train, all of them seemingly emotionless, but at the slightest chance of battle, may develop sinister sneers. "What about them? Why would they join the White Fang today?"

"You're worried that Ash might join the White Fang?" Blake guessed with a strangely amused smile. Weiss nodded once, letting out a sigh, as the hardest part of her interrogation was something she didn't have to say herself. The Faunus thought for a second, keeping an eye on her teammate as she did. "There's always the chance, you have to accept that fact. Even though he spent the majority of his life with you, Ash is still a Faunus who has experienced the same inequality that we all did. If he does join the White Fang, with his knowledge and combat expertise, he'll be a invaluable asset to them. Wherever he is now, and wherever he'll be in the future, he'll still be exposed to the racial tensions, and if somehow people found out about his secret, he'll be forced to choose a side. I can pretty much guarantee you this, Weiss. He won't be welcomed by humans."

At Blake's explanation, Weiss' heart sunk. It wasn't Blake's goal to dishearten her, Weiss knew that, but it was clear that she didn't want to lie to her even more, to give her false hope for something she desperately wished for. Blake reached out and placed a hand on Weiss' shoulder, remembering what Ashley had told all of them about familiar warmth being able to quickly comfort the heiress; she can only hope that her own warmth was deemed familiar enough. It worked to a certain extent. Weiss looked to the Faunus, as calm as she could.

"You really shouldn't worry," Blake quickly said to try and remedy her negative explanation. She smiled at the rare opportunity to see the heiress so relieved, disheartened, and confused. "Ash is more likely to join the Atlas military than join the White Fang. Remember what he said about what happened to the dragons? For all we know, he might have more of a reason to join the fight against the White Fang. I mean, there's no telling whether or not he had just as much, if not more, bad experiences with the Faunus than humans."

"It was humans that took everything from him. First, his mother, which in turn, caused his father to abandon him," Weiss' persisting pessimistic attitude surprised Blake. Usually, with the exception of Ruby, out of everyone on the team, it would be Weiss who could see the brightest sides of every situation they somehow find themselves in, as she can usually ensure that everything will go their way. "And very recently, it was yet another human that, once more, took everything from him."

"Weiss, it was that human that gave him everything. And if you think that she is even remotely capable of taking it all back, then why does she still feel comforted by his gloves?" Blake's nimble and sneaky hands dropped from Weiss' shoulder and from her side, and fished out the pair of black gloves from the heiress' pockets. She dangled them in front of her teammate with a mischievous expression on her face. Without making much of a sound, Weiss snatched the pair out of the Faunus' hands and stuffed them back into her pockets hoping that the darkness was enough to hide her reddening cheeks, momentarily forgetting that Blake could see in the dark as well as she would in direct sunlight. "But even if she did somehow do it, she's the one that can give it all back and more. Ruby knows where he is right? After we get back to Beacon, we can look for him all we want."

The heiress smiled at the ex-White Fang activist, a sight that could warm the coldest locations of Remnant, but was all ruined by the waking blonde brawler.

"But, hey Weiss, if you don't want him, then can I have him?" Yang pushed herself up from the cold floor, near her still sleeping sister and looked to the two with a similar mischievous expression that her partner had mere seconds ago. Weiss and Blake could only look at her with stupefied expressions, wondering where the question came from. "The housewife part of the whole marriage thing just isn't for me, so it makes him the best candidate for being my husband. Well, there's Jaune, but I don't think he can protect the house when robbers show up. Besides, I did propose to him, and he never said no, so…"

"What did I tell you about flirting with my butler?" Weiss instinctively said in rebuttal, having had to repeat the same question over and over again in the span of a single month against the brawler. She blinked once before she realized what she'd just said, momentarily unable to utter even a single syllable. Blake only looked at the heiress, nervous for her, whereas Yang looked like a predator that's mentally celebrating her success of trapping her prey. "I mean… he's free to do whatever he pleases. If he chooses to marry you, then you two have my blessing… I mean, I'll be happy for you two."

Blake and Yang would've laughed at their teammate's simply obvious conundrum, but given their current location and situation, they stifled their laughter as much as they could, though both were reduced to giggling fits. Weiss glared at them both, demanding to stop their laughter as well as explain what was it she said that they both deemed as hilarious. The first to comply was Blake, not being known to laugh as long as the average teenager due to her usual stoic attitude. Yang on the other hand, could out laugh anything in Remnant as long as the joke made was funny enough and took a little while longer to be able to face the heiress without breaking out into a small giggling fit.

"Ice Queen, you know, I think I like this dishonest, but obviously honest side of you," Yang confessed, pushing herself up further from the ground until she was standing. She held out her hands and walked up to the heiress, as if expecting a hug from her. Weiss immediately thrust out her hands and created a solid glyph between her and Yang, stopping the blonde on her tracks and forcing her cheek to flatten against the glyph. "Just one hug. You were so cute just then."

"I will not allow you to take even a single step further," Weiss proclaimed as both participants continued their struggle. Unfortunately, Weiss would be the one to make a mistake. Her drowsiness decided to reappear again, forcing her to lose focus and the glyph disappeared. Yang stumbled forward, able to catch herself before she fell face first onto the ashen floor. She looked up just in time to catch Weiss yawn for a second time. "I'm sorry Yang. I'm not sure why I'm so tired."

"Maybe it's because it's only this morning that you actually got some sleep," Blake suggested, placing her hands on Weiss' shoulders to support her away from the edge and closer to stable ground. Weiss allowed herself to be lead away, and kneeled down against a wall. "Go ahead and sleep. I'll take watch."

"Thanks Blake," Weiss muttered and fell asleep the second she closed her eyes. Her breathing was slightly rough, seemingly going straight to a dream of some sort, but it wasn't long before her breathing evened out and became slow and steady.

Even though she didn't need it, Blake quickly searched her pockets for the pair of black gloves she's hidden and placed it on her hands as gently as she could, not wanting to rouse the heiress. Once done, Blake laid her down, took a step back and simply watched along side her partner. Weiss curled up and brought her hand up. One went just under her cheek and used it as a small pillow, and her other hand went in front of her mouth, just under her nose and used it as filter for fresh air. A simple movement, full of innocence, with absolutely no ulterior motive, but neither Blake nor Yang could ignore the faint blush on the heiress' cheeks.

"So, they're getting together right?" Yang asked her partner in an even more secured whisper that before, not to ensure that the White Fang hears them, but because neither of them was sure whether or not Weiss was truly asleep. Blake turned to her partner with a fake mocked expression; her eyes were slightly widened, her mouth in the form of an o, and her left hand curled into a fist on top of her chest.

"Yang, we're going to make sure that they do," Blake stepped away from her partner and raised her hand. Yang smiled and did the same, high fiving her partner, with both gripping the other's hand when they met. They smiled at each other and looked to the heiress. "We _might_ not be able to do it with Jaune and Pyrrha, but these two will be the easiest."

* * *

Glynda very quickly learned something about herself: she may underestimated her students all the time, leaving her stunned at their progress, but to say that she's underestimated Ash Valentine was a definite understatement. She'd told the boy to not exhaust himself with overworking on sparring with Jaune, but here they were nearly seven hours later, nearly an hour after midnight and she's the one that exhibited any signs of exhaustion.

She had him run around the perimeter of Beacon to begin his training session with her like she'd promised, a total of six times even, and afterwards, she had him train against metal dummies like he'd done a week ago for the next two hours, before they were where they were at now. It was a simple sparring match between the two, though Glynda had initially planned on simply keeping the boy at bay from a distance, forcing him to dodge shrapnel that she would control considering he had no weapon or armor. But much to her surprise, not only did he dodge her attacks, but continuously charged at her, hardly deterred by the lances of condensed shrapnel.

From an outside perspective, it would seem that both of them were training. Ash could be seen as training his perception of his surroundings as well as his agility by continuously dodging, and Glynda could be seen as training her mind and mastery of her semblance by moving numerous groups of shrapnel around. Of course, that is the outsider doesn't see the situation as Glynda taking advantage of the lack of students to attack one of her least favorite student without being caught. That is, of course, in the first hour.

However, after that, Glynda's concentration began to break and Ash's movements became much more erratic and seemingly exhausting if the dragon stopped to pant even once. Instead of just dodging Glynda's ranged attacks, he began to use the groups of shrapnel as an in air springboard to launch himself at her. Using the tactic, Glynda found herself needing to dodge his attacks once the distance between them began to close. She knew that it was his fighting style to adapt and remain unpredictable, but it was never she on the receiving on the end of it. She, like most of the people of Remnant, never believed General Ironwood when he'd said in an interview that the sixteen year old boy he had an exhibition match against was someone he fears he might never be able to defeat after only a few years, however those who didn't believe him had never fought that boy.

And now, so late in the night, when every single soul in Vale should be asleep, Glynda's exhaustion began to truly affect her. The amount of shrapnel lances she controlled decreased by five, leaving only three for the dragon to watch out for. Even her arms, trained for so many years, felt heavy as she waved her riding crop like a conductor would his or her baton. Even her eyelids felt heavy as she forced her eyes to continuously track her son in the midst of chaos, trying almost seemingly desperately to get to her dodging shrapnel and Dust-made eruptions.

It was soon after the clock had actually ticked over the hour that Glynda's arms and semblance gave up on her. The lances of shrapnel all fell to the ground, its pieces littered the floor and the remaining Dust traps that Glynda had set up disappeared as if they were simple decorations. Ash stopped moving and looked to the professor wondering why'd she suddenly stopped. She was exhausted; that was obvious by the way she was panting with her hands on her knees and by the way her eyes seemed to be unable to focus on a single thing, being lightheaded from overuse of her semblance. Ash, on the other hand, seemed to be barely exhausted, only barely able to feel his heart thumping against his chest.

"How are you not tired?" Glynda asked between breaths of air, looking towards him as much as her neck would allow her. She let her head drop once she was finished asking, only listening to his footsteps get closer as some form indication as to where he is. It was when she had finally seen his feet at the edge of her vision did she look up again. He stood next to her and helped her straighten her posture. "Thank you, Ash. I'm not as young as I used to be."

"Your words, not mine," Ash, said jokingly, receiving a stinging strike from the professor's riding crop on the back of his right hand. It stung, but Ash laughed at her response anyway. He helped her to a nearby seat and simply allowed her to regain her breath. "Let's call it a night. There's not much else we could do tonight anyway."

"Maybe not with Glynda, Mister Valentine," a deep voice bellowed in the quiet room. Glynda and Ash looked towards its direction and found Peter Port and Ozpin at the double door hallway entrance near the top of the room. Ozpin had his signature cane by his side while Port had his blunderbuss strapped across his back. "Now that you've properly warmed up, you should be able to go up against any Grimm. In fact…"

The portly professor pulled out a small black box with an even smaller red button in the middle. He pressed it and the room suddenly lit up and the portions of the arena floor gave way. From the empty portions of the floor, a dozen cages covered in black tarps appeared, the creatures inside them also began howling, roaring, or screeching.

"You've proven your competence against people and now we'll teach you how to combat Grimm," Port declared as he pulled his blunderbuss from his back. Both he and Ozpin walked over to their colleague and the dragon, with Ozpin sitting down on a chair two seats away from the blonde. "By the time the sun rises, you'll be able to hold your own against all of these."

He motioned to the cages and the tarps that were covering them seemed to have been pulled to the floor by some mysterious force and disappeared underneath the cages. The creatures of Grimm inside were bathed in light and began to slam their bodies against the bars that held them, desperate for an escape. There were five Beowolves, two Ursai, three Boarbatusks, and two Creeps in the cages, each having their own cages to ensure control of the situation.

Glynda was stunned by the development. She'd only planned as far as the two of them sparring and nothing more afterwards. Since he'd be staying for two days and nights, she figured that they'd spend the first night, with figuring out exactly where Ash stood in the most basics of his training. Whereas the second night would be where the bulk of his training would take place. Though she never really figured out how she would be able to help him train against the Grimm. She looked towards the headmaster as if to mentally ask him if this was his doing, he only chuckled lightly in response as Port led the dragon to the arena and prepared him for the continuation of his training.

In mere minutes, eleven of the twelve cages disappeared into the floor, seemingly swallowed by it as it moved to cover them. The lone cage that remained contained one of the five Beowolves, frantically tackling the bars now that its brethren have mysteriously disappeared. Ash took his place in the center of the arena and the bearded professor took his place to the side of the cage. With a single swing of his axe-blunderbuss hybrid, the lock of the cage was destroyed and the Beowolf was set loose against the dragon.

Quick flashes of images from his memory of the last time he went up against Beowolves appeared in Ash's mind. The wounds he had received and how the villagers had to find him and cauterize his wounds before he died. A feeling of anger began to swell within his chest as the Beowolf darted towards him. There were several back then, there was only one now. He dashed in as well, expecting every single movement from the Grimm that it could make.

It pushed itself off the ground, standing on its hind legs with its claws allowing it to slide on the smooth floor as it wound its right arm back and swung when it knew that it and Ash would collide with one another soon. Ash ducked under the claw and twisted his body, bringing his right fist crashing against the creature's side, breaking at least three ribs from the force alone, piercing its lung. The Beowolf howled in pain as blood began to rush out of its mouth. Knowing that it would die soon, it sped off towards Ash again. It breathed in once and held it in, using the oxygen still inside its lungs to swing its arms at Ash, in a desperate attempt of at the very least wounding the dragon. Ash only dodged, sadistically watching the Beowolf drown in its own blood as some form of redemption. It wasn't long before the swinging stopped and it fell to its hands and knees further coughing out blood.

Ash took a step forward and was already towering over the downed creature. He let it drown a little longer, before he brought his right foot up and violently brought it down on the back of the Beowolf's head. The Beowolf's head was quickly turned into nothing more than a sloppy mess of blood and brain matter underneath Ash's foot. The limbs twitched a little bit longer before they finally became still and the body began to dissipate.

The way that Ash handled the lone Grimm would've been something that Port praised, but the way he toyed with it simply because it was alone and because he knew that he'd already won from a single bone crushing counter strike was something that the bearded professor had to criticize. If it was Ash from a week or two ago, he would've ended the fight as fast as possible with very little to no time for even the thought of playing with his opponent could pass through the dragon's head. Port's grip tightened around his weapon, wondering what could've caused the boy to be so sadistic and vengeful.

"Release all the remaining Beowolves professor," Ash requested, his tone of voice lower, deeper, and more restrained than usual. Though with that said, his anger couldn't be completely restrained. Venom was dripping from his words instead of the steady streams of it should he have released his anger. "Simply fighting one of them at a time would get us nowhere."

Before Port could argue that though it was definitely simple, it was safe and necessary for someone who has never went up against them, he saw that look in the boy's eyes. It was angry, and carried a bit of self-disappointment. Despite the hours of constant training with Glynda, he looked like he was able to take on the entirety of Atlas' army before he planned to take on a myriad of Grimm. Though, such a confident expression was nothing more than a beg for self-punishment. It was similar to the deal he made with Beacon when he first started out. Remove all precautions of safety for the sake of rapid growth, or at the very least the attempt at it.

Before he could even think about it further, Port raised the remaining four cages that contained the Beowolves and with a single button press, released them all against the dragon. He could hear his name being screamed by his colleagues asking him, almost begging him, to explain why he agreed to the boy's request, but he couldn't take his eyes away from the battle that was very rapidly taking place in the center of the arena.

Last time Ash was at his class, he received painful injuries from just three Beowolves and with Jaune as his partner, yet here he was now taking on four with no one to help him before they could determine him as overwhelmed, allowing them to step in to rid the room of the Grimm to help the dragon. And yet, the question of why there was such a calm expression on Ash's face began to rise from the present staff of Beacon. Not a minute earlier his expression had anger flowing from it, and now it seemed to have disappeared.

The Beowolves wildly swung at the boy with their sharp claws and serrated teeth, but for some reason the dragon had managed to find some way to escape the attack. Ash's eyes switched from Beowolf to Beowolf, at the order they swung at him, as if he could tell which one of the four would launch the following attack as well as the best possible way to dodge them as preparation to dodge the next one instead of the one already in process. It was the strange reaction that attracted Professor Port and silence both Ozpin and Glynda. Despite the only person in the chaos being Ash, it was almost as if it wasn't actually him there.

To Ash, the world had slowed down. The very moment that the Beowolves were released from their cages, it seemed that the air around them turned into thick molasses, only it was invisible to their eyes, only able to be felt. On top of that, it was almost as if he could hear someone's voice guiding him throughout, telling him where to look and how to react. The voice was prominent enough for him to hear it, but at the same time quiet and seemingly insignificant enough for him to immediately forget how the voice sounded like.

Due to the slow movement of the Beowolves, he was able to study every single movement of their muscle, every relaxing muscle and every contracting muscle, every breath taken and every breath lost due to excess movement. The slowed time, not only let him study the Beowolves, but it let him study his own patterns as well: the way he breathes, the way his instincts wanted him to move, the reaction speed between his thoughts and his muscles reaction to them. He continued to dodge and dodge, simply following the instructions of the voice he's been hearing. The only thing that frustrated him was that it had never told him how to attack.

For minutes after minutes in real time in the slowed down world, Ash dodged and dodged. Using everything around him to get out of the Beowolve's attacks but stayed within their kill range. He used their arms, bodies, and even at times their lower jaws to dodge the attacks. He could do nothing but follow the voice's instructions to the letter in order to survive the barrage of attacks. It forced him to move about in such strange ways even with his fighting style dictating for him to do so.

 _Attack them Ash!_ Weiss' voice suddenly echoed in his head, demanding him to do something instead of ordering him. It wasn't her voice that was instructing him before, but hers was one voice that he'll always listen to instead of any other. _Use your frustration. Forget your training. Use that strength of yours to crush them._

He smiled at her voice and ducked under the next attack despite the original voice telling him to use the extended arm in front of him to springboard out of there and into safety. At the peak of the attack's momentum, when all of it gradually disappeared, Ash pushed himself up and brought his right fist crashing against the sternum of the attacker. The Beowolf flew back, the force of the blow forcing its body to slam against the body of another. With the constant, almost coordinated attacks, of the Beowolves broken, Ash grabbed the still extended arm of the Beowolf he'd attack and used it to pull it towards him as he brought his right foot towards it. With the force of both pull and push at their peak when his foot struck its head, the unbridled strength of the dragon struck the Beowolf's skull, its neck was stretched back as Ash's leg continued to extend until the neck began to split open from the force alone. And by the time Ash's leg was fully extended, the only connection between the head and the rest of the body was the spinal cord.

Ash let the now dead Beowolf's arm go, and fell to the ground, still horizontal. When he could, he used his right hand to absorb the shock of the fall before his feet could. As if he was rubber, Ash immediately pushed his body up and tackled one of the other Beowolf. Caught by surprise, the Beowolf couldn't react in time to stop its body from being tackled to the floor. Once more, as if he was rubber, Ash bounced up once the Beowolf's body hit the floor. He brought his left knee up and slammed it against the Beowolf's chin, stunning it long enough for him to get away, and turn back to face the remaining three.

He could see the two standing Beowolves already running towards him, their claws, raking the ground, causing a cacophony of unholy screeches. However, like before, they were so slow, allowing Ash to plan for when they finally manage to get to him. He couldn't understand what was happening, much less explain it, but with Weiss' voice no longer present, he began to listen to the primer voice once again. He ran towards the three Beowolves even though it was only telling him to dodge and survive. One of the Beowolves pounced towards him, while the other kept low to the ground, a little to the left. The voice told him to jumped to the left towards the one that kept low, and though it seemed to be a bad idea, he followed the instruction.

As Ash jumped to the left, the third Beowolf appeared already in mid pounce. Unable to correct itself in the air, its body slammed against the one that pounced as well. Their bodies flew over Ash's head as he ducked down a little to avoid the bodies and as soon he was able to touch the floor with his left foot, he jumped back to the right like the voice had instructed him to do.

 _Kick!_ Weiss' voice appeared again, and Ash extended his left foot and spun. Bringing the tip of his shoes to the temple of the remaining Beowolf. It was knocked away, completely stunned by the attack as it struggled to correct its vision. _Go for the other two!_

Ash turned to the two Beowolves, still trying to untangle themselves from each other's limbs, and jumped into the air. He spun as his body fell towards the two, extending his right foot to bring it down on the spine of the Beowolf on top, causing the force to transfer to the bottom Beowolf as well, squishing both bodies against each other, Ash's foot, and the floor. With Ash no longer holding his strength back, the floor cracked under the immense pressure that hadn't been absorbed by the Beowolve's bodies. Both Beowolves howled in pain with whatever breath they've yet to lose.

 _You're fine. Keep attacking!_ Weiss' voice reassured him and so he followed it. He brought his right foot up and activated his semblance, focusing the majority of it on his legs. He brought the raised leg onto the Beowolves once more, the extra force added by his semblance enough to flatten their organs and pushed out whatever refused to. Blood squirted out from the mouths of the Beowolves as they breathed their last.

With one Beowolf left, Ash turned around and saw it standing on its hind legs, simply watching him. Several first for Ash happened at that moment: he'd defeated three Beowolves as a group instead of individually, he'd come out of the fight unscathed, and he'd seen a creature of Grimm exhibiting some form of fear. As Ash took a step forward, the Beowolf turned and ran, or at least tried to. Before it could take a single step out of the arena, Professor Port had taken aim and blasted the Beowolf apart with a single shot.

Now that his opponents have been reduced to nothing more than a pile of corpses, time returned back to normal as his professors joined him in the arena. Glynda was the first to get to him, running in to embrace her son, feeling a rise of pride. She hugged him tightly, as she laughed happily, finally able to see him as a full fledged Hunter, able to take on the world. However, soon, while he was still in her embrace, he had been slammed with sudden burst exhaustion, rendering him unconscious. When Glynda felt him slacken in her arms, she pried herself from him and inspected him. She held him up, leaning against her, fast asleep.

"Well that was surely quite a spectacle," Professor Port said as he put the cages that once contained Beowolves back down below the floor with a press of a button. "What could have happened in the week he was away?"

"It wasn't much what happened in the time frame, Peter," Ozpin told him, garnering the attention of both his colleagues. He looked at the unconscious boy against Glynda's chest. Ash looked completely exhausted, with even his mind seemingly taxed to the point that it was completely blank, just as exhausted as its owner. "I'd say we just witnessed hyper focus. It is a hypothesis that states the possibility of someone entering a state of focus where everything in the world becomes slow, whether it be bystanders, opponents, even the person's body. The only thing that won't be affected by this state is the person's mind. They become able to process information faster than normal, earning them the advantage in anything. Unfortunately, because it taxes the mind, by overworking it, it renders the user unconscious afterwards."

"If such a state exists, then why isn't anyone trying to take advantage of this?" Glynda asked as she tried to fix the dragon's position on her chest to better make it comfortable for him. In truth, she didn't care about the hypothesis; it was only whether or not they could recreate the situation, even if it's for Ash alone. Though she couldn't deny the ability to turn someone into an experienced Hunter with a simple risk and reward economy was convenient. "It seems to be more useful for the students even with the backfire."

"It's because no one knows what activates it," Ozpin answered, seeing the usefulness as well. Perhaps when Ash wakes, he could ask him what he'd done to go into such a state, and once they have an answer, maybe they could even share with the rest of Remnant. "Either way, I think it's time to get the boy to bed. Will he be staying with you Glynda? Or will he be staying in his dorm room?"

"After getting my son back?" Glynda asked in rebuttal. Before she could even receive an answer, no matter how ridiculous, she picked up the boy like a princess and was already headed towards her quarters. Once she was a good distance away from her colleagues, she whispered to the dragon, not caring that he couldn't hear her. "Congratulation Ash. You've finally become a Hunter."


	33. You're Insane!

"Weiss, wake up. We need to come up with a plan," Blake whispered as loudly and as cautiously as she could while she shook the white haired girl from her slumber. Weiss' eyes fluttered open, staring slightly confused at her teammate initially as the events from the night before steadily flooded in. She shook her head off of the drowsiness that dared to lull her back to sleep and stretched her spine. "I know you're still tired, but there's something that we have to ask you."

" _We_?" Weiss echoed as she completed her stretch. She looked around as soon as she can and found the remainder of the team, their professor, and the corgi, all huddled around the vantage point that served as their lookout. She and Blake soon joined them, keeping as low as they can to avoid anyone spotting Weiss' blinding white clothing. "What's going on?"

"Miss Schnee, how much _more_ Dust has the Schnee Dust Company lost as of recently, that you know of at least?" Doctor Oobleck's tone of voice was that of disbelief. He moved out of her way, and motioned her to take his place. Weiss was hesitant at first, shooting the doctor a look of bewilderment, confused as to what the information is relevant to. "Take a look for yourself, Miss Schnee. You might not believe it otherwise."

Weiss kept low, peeking over to the train. Like before the majority of the large cavern like area was covered in shadows, with only a few corners and flat areas illuminated with the faint light of a ceiling lamp that hung from nearly ten meter long power lines, connected to the rock ceiling forcing most of them to squint for a better picture. The area around the train was still the only area that all of them can see clearly. Truly a dark room, but Weiss was sure that she, along with everyone else around her, would've enjoyed the view better if no light existed or if they were to close their eyes. There were numerous Atlesian Paladins carrying more crates full of Dust from the outside and piling them into more stacks near the train, and by the looks of it, they'd been at it for a while. Nearly a dozen and a half stacks of the crates have been created, no longer giving the area a substation look, but more of a warehouse owned by the Schnee Dust Company.

As more and more of the Paladins dropped off their cargo and left for more, Weiss panned to the train and found the unpleasantly familiar sight of a man with bright, long orange hair wearing a black bowler hat with a small feather tucked inside its red band and a red-lined white suit with a small gray scarf. Roman Torchwick was looking at the train proudly as if he was its creator, and it was his life long goal. By his side was the small, petite girl with the umbrella that saved him from them and Ash weeks ago. The train already looked filled to the brim with Dust, barely looking like it had just enough room to let in at the very least a conductor, which begs the question: why is there a need for the excess Dust in the location?

"How long have I been asleep?" Weiss asked more in general than directed towards Blake and Yang, being the only two people awake last she was. They all had to duck closer to the floor, or in Ruby and Zwei's case completely lying down on the ground, as a member of the White Fang strolled a little too close to them. The six of them waited for a while, simply trying to listen to the patrol's footsteps to get some distance before Blake slowly peeked her head out to check their surroundings. She gave him a cautious nod. "How long have they been doing this? Also, is it just me or do they seem to be in a hurry?"

"Torchwick showed up two hours ago, about half an hour from when I took over as lookout," Blake answered, keeping her eyes bouncing between every corners of the substation slightly fearing some lucky patrol to detect them either from sight or from simply being lucky enough to hear them while they talked. "And yeah, you're right. Ever since he appeared, it's like they've been working themselves to death. If we could get closer, then maybe we could overhear at least something. Or better yet, if we can get a hold of anyone from Beacon, then we can stop all of this before they finish loading that train."

"Blake, getting out of here without someone screaming bloody murder as an alarm is impossible, even for you," Yang argued, grabbing her partner's hand just in case she tries the daunting task. Blake turned to Yang with a desperate expression that gave away her desire. This was her best chance to apprehend Roman Torchwick and maybe even to talk the rest of White Fang activists present to abandon the current violent streak of the cause. "We'll get him, I promise. But if you go out there and get caught, then we'll have to fight the Faunus with their shiny Paladins before we can even get to him. Do you really think he'll just wait around while we do that? What about that train? If he says 'Go' there's no way it's coming back."

Blake grit her teeth and closed her slender hands into fists, fighting off her entire being screaming at her to try either way. The White Fang has been her home and her family for years, and the desire to get it all back was definitely nearly unbearable. But at the same time, she knew that Yang was right. The crook had slipped through their hands once already with the young girl, currently next to him. Even if they somehow manage to rid the area of the White Fang activists, as long as she's there, they'll never be able to even get to him.

"But that doesn't change the fact that we have to get word out to someone as soon as possible," Weiss argued, biting her lip as a little self-punishment for being the one to bring up the fact. Yang glared at her for a brief moment, but soon realized the point made. Weiss pointed a single slender finger at the Dust filled train. "If we fail to tell the proper authorities about this soon, then it won't matter if we get caught or not. That train will leave some time soon to destroy whatever it is they want it to, and if these tracks go in a straight line, then it'll find Vale in its path."

"Who's there?" an unknown voice echoed in the quiet area, startling the six of them for a second, forcing them to slam their bodies to the ground as quietly as they could, hoping that the patrol brushes whatever they've noticed off as nothing more than a trick of the eye or possibly some disembodied voice of a spirit. "I know I heard something. Who's there? I'm not going to ask again."

"Zwei," Ruby hissed at her pet corgi, desperation in her voice as she tried to push her heart down from her throat. The dog turned its head to her, not caring that it had to rub its cheek on the dirty floor. Their hearts jumped up from their chests again as the sounds of pebbles falling to the rocks and asphalt below as the patrol began to climb ledges to get to them, grunting every time he had to push his body up to another ledge. "Get rid of him. Please boy, I'll give you a treat later."

At the promise of a treat, the corgi jumped up and yelped once, allowing it to echo in the substation. He peeked down from the vantage point and looked down at the activist that was now looking up at him with a confused expression. Zwei jumped down to the ground floor and panted happily as the masked Faunus jumped down to meet the corgi. He reached out and scratched the corgi behind his ears, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Hey! What's wrong over there?" another voice echoed throughout the substation. The owner of the voice appeared from behind one of the many stacks of Dust crates with a rifle in hand, ready to be discharged.

"It's nothing," the first activists called back, retracting his hand from the dog and standing back up, waving an arm at his friend. "It's just a stray dog. Nothing to be worried about."

Without saying another word, the further White Fang member shrugged and disappeared behind the stacks again. When he was out of sight, the first activist turned back to the corgi, unable to even let out a yelp as the corgi attacked him, pouncing towards him and turning its body so that its short tail and butt slammed against the mask, the excess blunt force, enough to knock him out cold. Zwei gripped the tip of the Faunus' collar with his teeth and pulled the body behind some rocks where only a patrol that actually searched thoroughly would be able to see the body. With his mission completed, Zwei jumped back up to where the team and the doctor was, panting happily and innocently as if he hadn't just knocked someone ten times his size unconscious.

Ruby peeked her head out and checked their surroundings to check if any suspicion was roused before pouncing on the corgi, wrapping her arms around Zwei's tiny frame, whispering words of praise and gratitude in his ear. Without a care in the world, Zwei happily barked once, letting it echo in the substation, causing the people around him to flatten their bodies even further against the floor, if at all possible.

"Zwei, please keep it down," Ruby begged the corgi, pressing her face to his body to muffle her voice, but loud enough to ensure that Zwei could hear. As a response, Zwei licked whatever skin of Ruby he could. Still unconvinced that he understood her, Ruby put her hood on and covered whatever part of her mouth with it as best she could. "Remember those stories we used to read together, the ninja ones? We're trying to be like them, ok?"

Ruby lifted her head off of his body and sat up, lifting him up, holding him by just under the dog's front legs. He made a noise that was similar to a grunt in the back of his throat and nodded, licking the tip of Ruby's nose afterwards, before he resumed lightly panting. Ruby put her pet down and the rest of her team and her professor all got from the floor and sat up, going to whatever window they could to overview the entire White Fang operation, pressing their bodies flat against the wall.

With the arrival of the human mastermind, every White Fang activist seemed like they were racing against a time bomb, the ones who were carrying smaller cargo, once pairs, were now single, and were jogging instead of the careful walking before. The activists in the Paladins were skating across jagged rocks and uneven slopes to get out and get back in faster with more Dust crates in hand. Even the patrols were jogging. As a curious wonder, Ruby brought out her scroll and checked both time and signal: seven in the morning, too early for anyone to be working so hard, and as expected, a fluctuation between low and no signal. She bit back yell of frustration at their inability to even so much as to last a single minute out of their 'camp' without possibly attracting the attention of the entire area. There was no time for them waste, they all knew that. For every single minute that they do nothing, half a dozen crates full of Dust enters the substation.

In fear of the negative repercussions, the possibility of endangering innocent lives, that the indecisive state their situation has left them all in, Ruby fought her current state of mind and lowered down the volume of her scroll as well as the light before calling Jaune Arc. Though the already low light seemed to be unnoticeable to anyone other than the people around her, she covered the entire scroll with her hood. She didn't know if Jaune was awake at the moment, but she had to risk it. It took a while, and each interval before each ring began to feel like minutes, but when she heard the familiar groan of annoyance from someone waking up, she couldn't be any happier.

"Ru… wha… wher…" the blonde's voice was distorted as the signal continued to fluctuate, but a simple half a second at a time was enough to them. Ruby's mind became taxed, having so much to say but having an unknown amount of time to say them. "Ca… hea… Rub…"

"Jaune, I don't know if you can hear me, but you have to try and understand me ok," Ruby's voice was slightly quivering in fear, though she wasn't sure if it was from the possibility of dying, of being unable to save people like the hero she always wanted to be, or both. When her fellow leader didn't respond, she could only assume that he was waiting for her message. "The White Fang are here in Mountain Glenn. They have a bunch of Dust here, and we think they want to use it for Vale. They loaded it all up in a train, but we don't know when they're going to go. Jaune, can you hear me?"

"Ruby… wh… White… tr… Dus—" the call was quickly cut off, and it left a dread feeling within Ruby. Jaune had heard what she said, or at least some of it, but for all she knew, what little he could've heard, he would be unable to understand it. Ruby looked at her covered scroll, frustrated that she risked them all getting caught for what may have been a failed attempt.

Yang moved over and placed a hand on her sister's shoulder, trying to comfort her silently. Ruby looked over, her worried expression clear for her sister to see even in the low lighting. The reaper shook her head, trying to put on at least a false sense of bravery and looked back at the activists, trying to formulate a plan. Everything from before still stood; they couldn't try to sneak around without alerting anyone, who'd then alert everyone else, it was still easy to guess that the train would be leaving soon, and they couldn't send a successful message while they remained underground.

"Blake, do you think you could get topside?" she whispered looking up at the only known entrance to the area. There were streams of sunlight pouring into the dark from it, constantly being interrupted by the multiple Paladins running in and out.

"Getting out isn't the problem," Blake moved closer and looked up at the entrance as well, scanning the area nearby it for any possible paths that could keep her hidden from sight, but to no avail. There were a few paths, but most of them required her to be out in the open as she scaled 90-degree rock walls, which wouldn't be a problem with Gambol Shroud, but the possibility of her throwing her weapon straight up, that high, and anchoring it to something stable without pulling the trigger once or twice to propel it was severely low. "I can get out of here no problem, anyone can. Just have to fight through all of that."

"We can stay down here and cause a distraction," Ruby proposed moving over to another side of the building they were in, motioning for all of them to come with her. They all did as she wanted and she pointed to a relatively new stack of Dust crates on the far side of the substation. "We can blow that up and they would have to check and put out the fire… you know, if we are lucky enough for it to actually catch on fire."

"You're telling me to run away while you guys act like bait," Blake criticized her leader, glaring at her, trying not to let the feeling of betrayal get to her. While the two situations weren't anywhere near the same, it was the same feeling she felt when she left her previous partner on that train. "I'm not leaving you guys here. I don't care if we do need to tell someone, either we all go up or we all fight down here."

"Then let's get out of here," Weiss suggested, checking Myrtenaster's revolver-like chamber before supplying the weapon with new vials of Dust. She checked their surroundings once before turning back to all of them. "If we start a fight here, then we risk _all_ those crates detonating and trapping us all in here. Now I don't know about any of you, but I am not fond of the idea of dying at the age of seventeen."

"I assume you have some sort of plan, Miss Schnee?" Doctor Oobleck asked, looking around himself, but finding no clear path for all of them to take. Weiss simply shrugged, as if the problem doesn't even exist.

"The same as before, doctor," she motioned to the small stack that Ruby once pointed to, steadily increasing in size as one or two Paladins constantly placed new crates on it. "If we can create a hole in one of those crates, I'll be able to create a glyph to detonate the entire thing from a distance. The stack is still small so at most it'll just shake the cavern, perhaps collapse the already weakened building beside it, but it won't be enough to cause a cave in."

"It's worth a shot," Yang immediately agreed. Seeing an explosion, no matter how big or how small – or even how dire their situation was – an explosion will always be a welcomed sight, and so is any plan that even has the possibility of accomplishing such a thing. "It's better than staying and waiting here for something to happen."

"If we have to do something without getting caught then I'll go," Blake suggested, readying Gambol Shroud for anything that may go wrong with her attempt. Weiss shook her head and stood up, in full view of anyone who's perceptive enough to so much as look up to see the girl in glowing white. "Weiss, have you lost it? What are you doing?"

"We've already gone over this," Weiss said with a sigh, not even bothering to conceal her voice anymore. Her voice, naturally soft as if to protect her singing voice, echoed enough to attract the attention of some wandering patrols and other stationary guards. "I'm going to detonate those crates."

Before the White Fang could have a chance to recover from their shock of finding someone amongst them, a shock that increased as they realized that it was a Schnee, Weiss had already created six white glyphs around the stack and from them came sharp icicles that easily penetrated the wood. Several dozen Dust crystals of varying colors spilled out of holes on the side, littering the ground around them. Weiss immediately created one, much larger, and red glyph on the ground under the wooden boxes and in a blink of an eye the stack was set ablaze. Team RWBY, Doctor Oobleck, and Zwei immediately lied down on the floor, hugging it like a long lost friend, with Zwei flattening his ears down to his head, fully knowing what will happen soon.

The stack exploded into a colorful display of explosions and rather dangerous looking wooden debris. What happened soon afterwards, as anyone would expect, was pure panic.

There were White Fang running from the explosion, in fear that there were somehow there were some Dust crystals that hadn't exploded yet and were only pushed away from it. Those who saw and heard Weiss were trying to tell the others, but were drowned in the screams of panic of the others. The ones who were initially close to the other, much larger stacks, either got the hell away from them, panicking like many or were brave enough to check around the stacks, in a desperate search for unexploded Dust crystals. Instead of at least some of the Paladins that transferred crates from one place to another coming to investigate the source of the explosion, other White Fang members hopped in a few inactive ones already on the train. Four Paladins came and searched the area, careful as to not accidently bump into the buildings. If the structures hadn't been already in their final stand, they surely were now; almost seemingly like a single breath from either human, Faunus, or Grimm could easily topple them all over.

In the midst of the chaos, the Beacon affiliates jumped down from their hiding and broke out in a full sprint for the exit with weapons already drawn, ready to protect themselves should the need arise. They ran through the legions of activists, only some of them managing to catch sight of the six and attempted to intercept them. However, they were all blasted away from one shot of Yang's Ember Celica. Unfortunately, the action only served to attract the attention of every single activist.

"There they are! Kill them!" one of the many activists shouted, already pulling his rifle from his side and unleashing a barrage of Dust calibers. It wasn't long before Team RWBY, Doctor Oobleck, and at time Zwei, were busy dodging shots from every direction.

In response, with a single swipe of her weapon, Weiss placed three large glyphs behind them, solid enough to stop the incoming salvo of Dust, from behind anyway. There were still shots coming from either side of them, and since she was only able to create stationary glyphs and with the exit still quite a ways away, she dared not try to create more as they moved, in fear of running out of the required Dust to do so. Nonetheless, the bombardment from behind didn't stop. Even with the glyphs blocking every single shot that they made, the activists kept shooting, knowing that the glyphs will disappear eventually.

"I can't believe you made us do this!" Ruby shouted at her partner, both angry and excited. Yes, the heiress just forced all of them into probably one of, if not the most, dangerous parts of Remnant will hardly any cover, forcing them to trust that their Aura will hold out. But at the same time, it was definitely the most exhilarating. "You're insane. You're absolutely insane!"

A group of four activists appeared ahead of them, all wielding rifles took aim and began to shoot. Oobleck, who was leading their run, was hit with three of the shots, mitigated by his Aura, before he could take out his thermos. With a single swipe, the thermos extended, growing a three-foot metallic handle, making the thermos now seem like the world's strangest mace. He swung the thermos like a wand as he ran, and created several fireballs, the size of small boulders, from the tip. The balls of fire sped off towards their targets, picking up pace as they did so, before splitting up – one going left, another right, and the last up. The activists stopped shooting, somewhat enthralled and curious by the fire as they tracked one. In a blink of an eyes, the fireballs suddenly turned and doubled their speed, crashing at the center of the activists, leaving them as nothing more than screaming humanoid debris, slamming against building walls and the jagged walls of the cavern.

Following her professor's example, Yang tapped Weiss on the shoulder as they ran and pointed at the back. With a single nod, Weiss prematurely took away the glyphs that were blocking the bullets while Yang jumped into the air and turned her body around. She punched the air, firing a shot from her weapon, aiming for the center of the group like Oobleck had done earlier. The group were blasted away, knocking them back and across, either into walls or into other activists. Unfortunately, the moment the glyphs were taken away, both Yang and Weiss, being at the back, had to brave through a few direct hits. Yang landed and continued to run alongside Weiss, giving her a high five.

"Professor? What's in that thermos?" Ruby asked cautiously, very carefully moving away from the older man. She continued to stare at the tip of the seemingly bottomless thermos that she'd now seen him drink and create fireballs from. He turned to her and swung the thermos in question towards her, showing her the tip. Ruby immediately pushed it away from her. "Please just tell me! I don't need to see!"

"It's just your usual coffee, Ruby," he said nonchalantly, almost as if they weren't being shot at while being at risk of being caught in an enormous Dust explosion, being hopelessly trapped at an underground train station in Mountain Glenn. "And it's 'Doctor.' Watch your head."

Oobleck swung his thermos back at Ruby as she ducked, avoiding the thermos as it unleashed a set of fireballs once more. Instead of dancing around to get to their targets, the fireballs went straight to their targets spinning in spirals as they doubled in size before exploding on impact. Bits and pieces of wall and intact bodies of activists flew from the epicenter of the explosion. Unfortunately, they were hiding within the second floor of a building and the explosion was enough to cause the entire building to collapse.

"Oh dear Oum. Run!" Oobleck yelled, unaware of the glares he was receiving from his students and the corgi. Behind them, the White Fang began to run back to the train, afraid of being crushed by the rubble. Oobleck looked back once, to see what his accidental destruction had done and smiled victoriously to see the numerous Faunus running for their lives, a moment that was quickly taken away from him. The shadow of a Paladin appeared from behind the dust and falling rubble and it charged through it, the heavy armor proving to hold up its purpose of brushing off any sort of damage. "Oh my. Keep running girls and dog!"

"We are!" Blake yelled back, looking back at the Paladin as well. She pulled out Gambol Shroud as a pistol and aimed back. She emptied the entire clip at the Paladin, but her shots hardly even dented the armor and didn't deter the operator as it continued to charge towards them. "Why did Atlas have to make something like that thing?"

"I don't think they meant it for this," Weiss argued back, not caring that the Faunus had meant it as rhetorical. Weiss turned her head and sliced at the air with Myrtenaster, creating a similar glyph in the air in front of the Paladin as she did to stop the bullets earlier. Unfortunately, while the Paladin was indeed slowed, a single punch from the armor with its velocity was enough to destroy the barrier. "We can't slow it down! What do we do?"

"Worry about it when we get outside!" Ruby quickly answered, already seeing the sunlight that poured in from the only opening. The Paladin was steadily gaining on them, but they were closer to the opening than it was to them. They willed their legs to go faster and soon breached into the open. "Hide before it gets here!"

Without even looking to her, all six of them split into different directions and hid behind building ruins and random rubble lying on the streets and waited to hear or see the Paladin come charging through. They weren't disappointed when the armor appeared in the streets, covered in dust and simple scratches. It looked all around for them, but found nothing more than the ruined city. It wandered away down the ruined street spinning around with its arms as plasma cannons.

Now that they were out in the open, they had free use of their scrolls without much trouble. Ruby called her team and her professor on their scrolls, while she kept Zwei next to her.

"Alright girls, we have no idea what this thing can do. I'll distract it, while you all sneak away," Oobleck tone seemed to be more exited than usual, barely able to restrain his voice. He took one sip from his thermos and let out a sigh, happy with the drink.

"Wait, doctor. We know what it can do. Ash told us about it once," Blake replied, stopping the older man from stepping out of cover. She couldn't tell him that they'd actually fought a Paladin before, and if she'd told them that they even managed to destroy one, they'd be in for quite a lecturing from the staff of Beacon and definitely General Ironwood. "Let us take care of it."

"How does he know about these Paladins? Could his previous position have earned him access even in the Atlas military? Some flaw in the army perhaps…" the doctor muttered loud enough for his students to hear, momentarily forgetting the threat they were under. Yang cleared her throat awkwardly and the doctor was taken back to the real world. "Very well girls. Show me what you can do."

Weiss sped away towards Yang once she free from the Paladin's view and together, they found a secluded corner and Weiss placed a coating of ice, as large as she could possibly make it to be, on the ground. With a nod, she left Yang in the middle of the ice floor and hid once more, keeping an eye on Yang as she refilled her weapon with a new vial of ice Dust. In less than a minute, Ruby turned a corner, running as fast as she can, without the aid of her semblance, with the Paladin running behind her, occasionally shooting the concussive plasma from its arms whenever the operator thinks that they'd managed to get a lock on the hooded girl, unaware of the iced floor that they're heading towards.

Once she was a yard away from the edge of the iced floor, Ruby activated her semblance and disappeared from view, leaving behind a flurry of petals. Unable to slow down, the Paladin was left unable to correct itself as it slipped and fell on the ice, its momentum keeping it going towards Yang. The brawler jumped high into the air, waving at the Paladin as it slid beneath her. The Paladin was slammed against the building behind Yang, causing more rubble to fall on it. Even she knew that she now has extra time, Yang pushed her hands back so that her gauntlets were pointed towards the sky and fired a shot from both, propelling her towards the ground and slamming her right fist against the iced ground as she pulled the trigger. Like before, the area was filled with steam, disabling the 360-degree view of the Paladin.

The Paladin soon broke free from under the rubble, sending the debris flying in different directions and looked around for the blonde that waved at it and the hooded girl that it was chasing. With the steam, the images that appeared on the screen for the operator was barely able see anything a few feet away from it. It tried to activate its laser sights, but the rubble that had fallen on top of it crushed the laser sights on top, leaving the set just under the front as its only form of vision.

Team RWBY sped around it, trying to look for opportunities to attack and get away before it could turn to them and attack. Blake was the first to go in, attacking from the side, hoping that it won't turn to her before she could come close. Her target was the remaining sensor, in an attempt to make the fight easier for her and her friends. As the lasers kept moving around in a disco ball like manner, one of them managed to catch the Faunus' arm, the Paladin immediately turning to her and firing off more of the concussive shots in panic. Blake cursed her luck and used her semblance to dodge the plasma, using the shadow as a springboard to jump to the side, leaving it to be demolished by the blasts along with the street.

The Paladin tracked her, turning wherever she moved, firing more plasma, not allowing her to get away. It destroyed more of the street, leaving behind five-foot craters on every single shot. Yang appeared behind the Paladin and jumped onto its back, continuously slamming her fists and gauntlets against it, firing off a shell with each hit. The Paladin jumped back, fully knowing that a building was right behind it, considering they were in a corner of the city where two streets joined together. Fully knowing its intent, Yang jumped forward hitting the Paladin's front with a right hook, followed up with a shell to propel her forward. Now, with her in the air and in front of the Paladin, it shot at her with a single concussive shot, hitting her in the stomach and knocking her forward even more.

Yang's body flew into the air, unable to release even so much as a groan in pain, as the shot had knocked the air out of her lungs. She disappeared behind the thick wall of steam where even the laser wasn't able to track her, nevertheless the Paladin shot off a barrage of concussive plasma towards the direction that the girl went flying through.

Though worried about her sister's well being, Ruby charged in, scythe swung back and transformed into a fleeting group of petals, flying through the air before turning back to a fifteen year old girl once more, slicing the laser sensor in half as she continued to fly across and behind the wall of steam due to her excess momentum.

Frustrated at the lack of visibility as well as the fear of losing, the Paladin begun to spin around, mindlessly shooting into nothing, not caring that it was steadily destroying the last of the pillars or walls that kept the buildings around them standing. As it unknowingly fired down the street, several of the shots destroyed small buildings and created more craters on the ground. As the buildings nearby began to collapse, the Paladin and the girls ran from them, making it to a clearing that possibly used to be a park for the former residents of the ruined city.

Blake had her arm around Yang as she continued to drag her around. Yang was more or less undamaged, her Aura mitigating most of the damage if not all, but left her in a state of daze and slight confusion. Ruby and Weiss were right next to them, ready to lend a hand should the need arise. From behind them, the Paladin walked towards them with one arm staying in the form of the cannon while the other was in the form of a tightly coiled fist. Weiss was the first to react, getting into a fighting position while Ruby and Blake guided Yang behind the heiress. They all knew that there wasn't much Weiss could do alone, even with the already heavily damaged open.

Determined to protect her teammates even against the odds, Weiss raised her rapier in the air, creating a dozen white glyphs around them. The glyphs had four swords, with their tips pointed at the center, spinning in a circle. From the center of each glyph, a white sword in similar shape of the swords that made up the glyphs appeared and shot off towards the Paladin, punching through two feet in the heavy armor as well as transferring their momentum to it, forcing it to stagger back. Weiss continued to try and increase her focus on the task, and all twelve glyphs continued to create and shoot off blades from the center. As time went on, the number of glyphs decreased to six, and soon after that, decreased further to a single one, and even that faded after only a few seconds. With her semblance taxing her mind from the constant and excessive use, Weiss collapsed to the ground exhausted, nauseous, and dizzy.

The Paladin was in a worse state, however. Though the bombardment of summoned swords had ended, there were still a dozen of swords impaled in the armor. The sounds of machines whirring could be heard from the joints and limbs, but the swords were solid enough to stop its movements altogether. The swords began to disappear one by one though at a slow pace, not enough to allow it for any sort of movements. The Paladin stopped moving and relaxed. From its back, the hatch that held the operator within opened up and the Faunus inside stepped out, dizzy as well, barely able to even stand. In his hand was a pistol, and shakily pointed it towards the heiress. From behind his half mask, blood seeped out, as the summoned swords that penetrated the front of the cockpit destroyed some of the monitors and struck him, draining him of his Aura.

"You won't win. Vale will be destroyed," he said in a hoarse voice. Though his vision slightly blurred, he took aim at the fallen heiress and shot. The bullet struck Weiss on the side forcing her to let out a scream of pain, lowering her Aura and knocking her further down on the floor.

Ruby rushed towards the Faunus and struck him with the back of her scythe, knocking him out and saving her partner from any more pain. Once she's made sure that the Faunus was properly knocked out, Ruby rushed to her partner's side and helped her sit up. The heiress was all right despite the hurt expression on her face and the pain that surged from her side.

"Weiss, are you ok?" Ruby asked as she checked her partner for any other injuries. The heiress gave her a nod before looking back to the blonde and the cat Faunus. Yang was looking better, having some time to recover from the concussive blast that she had to brave through. "We should get Doctor Oobleck. We can find a place to rest at after."

"I'm here, Ruby," Oobleck called out at the edge of the once park, walking slowly towards them. He turned his head and inspected the Paladin, filled with slits as puncture wounds now that the summoned swords have all disappeared. The unconscious operator lay at the feet, sprawled out on the ground with a minor head wound. "I must say, well done girls. You've proven yourselves as excellent Huntresses. Everyone would be proud."

"What do we do now?" Yang asked, taking her arm off of her partner, standing on her own. Her mind was still fuzzy and her vision still somewhat blurry, the figures in front of her sometime doubling. Blake stood at the ready to help her again, but thought about the question presented.

"We call for backup," Weiss answered, her voice strained as Ruby helped her stand back up on her feet. Ruby took out her scroll and called Jaune once more. "I know we need to call someone and all, but why is he the first one you call?"

"Because I already called him earlier. I'm sure he's worried. Besides, Team JNPR is still at Beacon, they can tell Professor Goodwitch and Professor Ozpin," Ruby quickly answered, trying to fake a mocked tone of voice in an attempt to veil her lie. In truth, she called Jaune in hopes that Ash would be somewhere nearby. In a few seconds, the call connected and before Jaune could even say a hello, Ruby spoke. "Jaune, can you hear me now?"

"I can hear you Ruby. What's going on?" he asked, his voice full of confusion and worry. There was rustling in the background on Jaune's side of the call with Nora calling out a cordial greeting, her voice slightly muffled by the distance. "Nora, I know you're exited, but not right now. Something's wrong. Ruby, what's with that call from earlier? You were saying something about training with Dust?"

"No, listen. The White Fang are here in Mountain Glenn. There's a train full of Dust here and we think they're going to send it to Vale somehow," Ruby's voice was full of panic, talking faster and faster as her heartbeat matched the same pace. Weiss placed a hand on her shoulder and Ruby turned towards her with her panic clear on her face. Weiss' eyes, cool and collected, somehow calmed her down enough to stop her from hyperventilating. "You guys need to tell Professor Ozpin about it. And guard the city. You guys need to do something."

For a while, there was no response from the blonde leader, hardly even a breath could be heard, not even from Nora. Ruby waited for a few seconds, with each second seemingly lasting longer than the last.

"Jaune!" Ruby yelled at her scroll, hoping that the call hadn't dropped and all her explaining had been for naught.

"I'm here Ruby. Listen we'll do what we can here, but you guys need to whatever you can to at least slow down that train," he requested, his words almost script like more than anything. Another pause while they listened to Jaune mutter phrases like 'Got it' and 'Yeah' as if he was speaking to someone else. "The train tracks were supposed to have been blocked off, not only by the government, but also by the rubble left behind by the Grimm. So even if the tracks were somehow cleared off the debris, it shouldn't be a smooth ride. It should be slower than it normally would. But we still need you guys to buy us sometime. We need to find the city blueprints to figure out where the train and Vale connects."

"We'll do what we can," Weiss responded, not allowing anyone else to ask for something that might only prove to waste time that they don't have. They simply had to trust them to know what they were doing. "Hurry up and find those maps. We'll be out of contact while we're in the tunnels. We'll see you soon."

"Be careful. All of you," Jaune pleaded with fear evident in his voice. The call ended and Ruby put her scroll away, now wondering exactly how they were going to stop a train guarded by numerous activists.

"How are we supposed to stop a train?" Yang asked out loud, her volume somewhere between that of normal to a yell. She looked towards Vale, and though she couldn't see it, in her mind, she could remember the streets of Vale as it is in her memories and a similar image, that of its destroyed counterpart. "Another thing, how are they supposed to find out where the intersection is? I remember Jaune falling asleep at that lecture."

"It's not him that's going to," Weiss said confidently, checking her weapon for any empty vials, finding the light blue ice Dust completely empty. She reached back into the pouch of Dust that she always carried around, looking for a new vial, but found nothing more. Instead, she placed another vial of some other type of Dust in place of the empty ice Dust vial. "There's probably someone there who knows the blueprints of the damned tracks like the back of his mind. They probably spent months studying Mountain Glenn, it won't even surprise me if they memorized the useless blueprints too."

The confidence in her voice immediately gave away the person she was describing. Ruby looked at her, stupefied at how she found about his whereabouts, while Yang glared at her, remembering how the person had managed to write fifty different reports on the archived White Fang stories in a single night. Blake could only smile at how Weiss seemed to combine both Ruby and Yang's expressions, both angry at the supposed useless knowledge that was now useful while being appreciative of it.

While the team composed themselves, Oobleck made his way to the Paladin and looked at the inside, sitting on the operator's seat and closing the hatch. Immediately, the Paladin began to move even with the damaged limbs and controls. The metal grinded against each other, and it stumbled on every step. After a few minutes, Oobleck had managed to decipher the most basic controls.

There were pedals at the bottom of the seat; pressing on each one would take a step with the corresponding leg. On the side, where the armrest should be, were almost like joysticks that had a track of its own. The two tracks were side by side, connected by a single track at the front. Keeping the joystick on the left track, would switch the matching limb to its plasma cannon form while moving the joystick to the right track would turn it back to its fist form. The monitors were all broken beyond repair, sliced in half, but only two remained, both directly in front him, but were shaky and had a steady problem of static.

He made his way over to the girls and morphed both arms into fists. They looked at him, barely able to see his actually form through the slits that the summoned swords made, wondering why the doctor was playing with the Atlesian heavy armor.

"I think I've found our way of stopping the train."


	34. It Doesn't Make Sense

"Again. Attack me with every bit of that strength of yours," Ash commanded at the slightly exhausted Jaune, panting with his hands on his knees and his sword and shield leaning on his right leg. Unlike the day before, Ash had been holding back a lot less. Striking Jaune's abdomen and chest whenever the blonde would make a reckless attack. Despite the armor he wore, Ash's attacks had been wearing him out and had been steadily depleting his seemingly endless stamina. "If you want to rest, then you'll have to recover your stamina as you avoid my attacks."

Another day, which meant that Jaune was trapped in his second and last day to train with Ash. When Team JNPR had knocked on Glynda Goodwitch's door earlier that morning, the dragon was the one who answered it, already dressed comfortably in a thin black shirt that probably belonged to Aaron of Team LAVA considering that the shirt looked a little too loose for his frame and the wolf Faunus' body size was slightly bulkier than Ash, despite their weapons of choice.

Besides his clothing, the team managed to catch the dragon in a slightly disorganized state. Before they even left their professor's room, Ash had nearly tripped on his own feet several times, catching himself by putting his hand on a piece of furniture or a wall, and even as they were leaving the room and had to stop for Ash to lock the door, he missed the keyhole before actually managing to lock it. Jaune tried to say something, but at the mention of his health, Ash simply turned and began to walk towards the arena. Cautiously, the team followed him with Jaune whispering to his partner to keep an eye on him.

The previous day, Ash had promised the leader that by the end of the day, he'd be able to fully use his stamina to combine both his offense and defense should the need to do so ever arise. At first, Jaune was eager to train for the skill, especially if it meant he'd be able to get closer to being the hero he'd always wanted to be, but now, a little over two hours in their training session without break, he would've gladly laughed in the face of his past self. He had sweat beading down his forehead, gathering onto his chin into a single drop, before dropping down to the floor. He could already feel his knees shaking, wanting nothing more than to give up supporting the body's weight.

Ash waited until the leader had picked both sword and shield, pushing the shield towards the dragon indicating that he was ready to defend against his attacks. With a nod, Ash ran towards Jaune, keeping his stance low and his right fist as close to his body as it possibly could. Jaune kept his gaze trained at his opponent, watching him for any excess movement that could possibly give away his attack pattern like Pyrrha had done in her fight yesterday against the same opponent. Once they were arm's reach of each other, Ash threw his right fist forward, hitting the middle of Jaune's shield, forcing its wielder to put more strength to his legs, not wanting to move give up even a single inch, raising his shield a little higher even though he'd lose sight of Ash.

Ash smiled at the leader's resilience, but was inwardly disappointed as Jaune was more or less hiding behind his shield once again, a mistake that he'd have to be reminded of. When he was able to, Ash pulled his right hand back and spun his body counter-clockwise with his left arm extended out just enough for the back of his hand to hit the edge of Jaune's shield, pushing it out of the way. It was unfortunate that he'd gotten so used to fighting with the metal gloves that he had forgotten the fact that he wasn't wearing them at the moment. As Jaune's shield was pushed away from the center and towards his sword arm, Ash was forced to ignore the pain that surged from his left hand when the sharp shield edge met thin bones. Continuing his spin, Ash closed his right hand into a tight fist and forced to against the side of the blonde's chin, disorienting him as well as pushing him further to the right. Once clear of his spin, the dragon jumped towards Jaune, turning his body until it was horizontal and spun once again. As Jaune recovered from the blow to his chin, he turned just in time catch his friend's right leg with his forehead, forcing him to the ground with a rather loud thud and clang as his sword skidded away from his grasp and his shield edge his the ground.

Jaune was left looking at the ceiling, wondering why he was lying down on the ground as Ash extended a hand to him to help him up. Jaune took the hand as soon as he realized that he'd been unable to defend against his friend's attacks. Ash pulled him up and walked over to retrieve the dropped weapon and return it to its rightful owner, giving the blonde some time to rest.

"Mister Arc, you were hiding behind your shield again," the dragon explained with a sigh as he handed the blonde his sword. Jaune took the sword again with a sigh, adjusting his grip on the handle as he looked at with a restricted pained expression. Ash struck Jaune's chin playfully, as a way to comfort him, causing Jaune to look at the dragon. "Alright, how about we try something like shadow boxing? Simply watch me and match my movements. Miss Nikos? While it's not necessary, if you would be so kind as to lend me your sword and shield, I'd appreciate it."

"Alright?" Pyrrha agreed cautiously, confused as to what progress he'd be able to make with her weapons. She used her scroll to call her weapon locker to their location. "I'm not sure I understand your plan."

"In the most basic terms, this is nothing more than just mimicry," Ash explained rather resentfully, fully knowing that what he was doing was reverting to training his friend like anyone would a new fighter. At his explanation, Pyrrha glared at him for possibly shaming her partner. "However, learning swordsmanship and learning how to play an instrument or learning how to do anything really. Simply doing the action forces different parts of the brain to become engaged and become active."

"So, you're hoping that because Jaune will be using different parts of his brain, he'll automatically be more welcoming to things he didn't know before? Including his fighting?" Ren asked with his right hand's fingers and thumb gently grabbing his chin as he stared at the ground in front of him in deep thought. Ash shrugged his shoulders in uncertainty, finding the explanation both correct and incorrect. "But what would be the point in that? You and Jaune fight way too differently. Isn't that just telling him to become you?"

"Not necessarily Mister Lie," Ash tried to dismiss, stopping for a moment to gather his thoughts to come up with an answer that they would all be satisfied with. "I'm sure you've noticed yourself how Mister Arc has been able to find solutions to problems in the heat of the moment when he wants to. I have no doubt that this sort of thing would be minor to that. Moreover, I'm not telling him to implement my fighting into his own. It's something that I've come up with while keeping Miss Nikos' fighting style in mind."

As if on cue, Pyrrha's weapon locker landed with a loud bang as it came to a sudden stop when it hit the marble floor. Pyrrha made her way to the locker and opened it, grabbing her sword and shield and tossing both to Ash. The dragon caught both, attaching the circular shield to his left forearm and tightly gripping the handle of the sword with his right. He moves his shoulders in circles and tested the weight if both items, frowning slightly at the lighter weight. Nevertheless, he took his place next to Jaune.

"All right then, Mister Arc, if would get into your stance," Jaune, though still unsure, awkwardly got back into his stance. He placed his shield in front of him, roughly a foot from his body, while he placed his sword slightly behind him, ready to be brought to the front as a possible start for a combo. Ash mimicked the stance with enough space between them to cause no accidents. "Now, shadow me and memorize the movement as best you can. You'll be using this against me in a moment."

With a nod, they started. Ash moved slowly, bringing the sword over his shoulder and slashed across the chest of his imaginary opponent, ending with the tip of the blade pointed to the ground on his lower left. Jaune did the same, performing the same slash, slightly faster than Ash's, keeping his eyes trained on Ash for any change in movement. Ash began to move again spinning counter-clockwise and stepping forward when he faced the front again, and slammed Pyrrha's shield against the side of his imaginary opponent before placing his shield steadily in front him, to guard against any attack. Jaune shadowed Ash once more, performing the same maneuver. Ash moved again when Jaune was in similar stance as he was. The dragon pulled his shield arm to the left and threw it back up to his upper right as if to parry an attack or bash his opponent with the shield. Before Jaune could shadow the maneuver he'd seen, Ash kept moving, bringing the sword behind him over his shoulder once more, similar to the first maneuver, but kept going, spinning counter-clockwise and bringing the sword across his imaginary opponent's body again, similar to the one before.

Before Jaune could copy the move, Ash moved away and looked at Jaune. The blonde kept his gaze straight at the invisible opponent though could feel Ash's observing glare freeze his bones solid. Jaune copied the maneuver, bringing his heater shield down to his lower left and quickly brought it up to the top right, feeling rather awkward with attacking with his shield. Afterwards, he brought the sword over his shoulder spinning like Ash and bringing the sword over his shoulder again to attack. He felt awkward at the end, almost like his center of balance has shifted elsewhere, leaving him in an unstable state with his knees slightly bent and shaking. Ash took a step forward, ready to catch and stabilize the leader should he need it, but Jaune managed to right himself before he fell over by stabbing his sword tip into the floor.

"I don't know about this Ash. It's kinda weird to do," Jaune said worriedly, morphing his shield back into a sheath and stowed the blade inside, keeping the entire thing gripped by his left hand. Ash chuckled at his dilemma, stabbing Pyrrha's blade into the ground to free up his right hand. He placed his free hand on Jaune's shoulder as comfort. "There's no way this is gonna work for me. You saw how I almost screwed that up didn't you? I'm not gonna be able to do all of that faster."

"I'm not asking the impossible of you Mister Arc," Ash said confidently, going back to pick up Pyrrha's sword from the ground and taking his place in front of Jaune with the shield out. Jaune got into his stance rather cautiously, slightly unnerved at the confident smile on the dragon's face, slightly visible from the dip on top of Pyrrha's shield. "Now attack me. Just like how you did it. It's only awkward because you're not used to it. Everyone's the same. Didn't you feel the same when you first started training as a child?"

He didn't need a response from the leader to know his answer. The expression of someone's expression calming and entering a confident state was enough to realize the blonde's resolution. Jaune gripped the handle of his sword tightly and went over the maneuver multiple times in his head before steeling himself further until he was ready to attack his friend, fully knowing that the dragon wants him to try and kill him.

Jaune brought his sword over his shoulder and tried to bring it across Ash's chest, but Ash raised his shield, blocking the attack. Blade and shield grinded against each other with a cacophony of metal on metal until the Jaune completed his movement, and the blade was set free, pointing to the ground at his lower left. Jaune spun and slammed his shield against Ash's shield when he faced him again, stepping in hard to balance himself for the greatest amount of force he could muster. The circular shield was pushed to the side, leaving the dragon open for an attack. Though it wasn't part of the series of movements that Ash showed him, Jaune gathered his courage and swung his blade horizontally, almost cutting the dragon's exposed side if it wasn't for his Aura.

Ash smiled, feeling nothing but pride for his friend taking notice of the offensive opportunity presented to him and taking initiative to attack. Before Ash could get back into his stance again, Jaune was already ready, his shied in front of him, watching Ash for any strange movements. As the dragon began to recover from the guard break, Jaune reeled his shield to the lower left and forced his shield to the upper right, hitting Ash's shield edge, using every bit of strength he could muster, overpowering the dragon and pushing the shield away once more, leaving him open for yet another attack.

Jaune's confidence began to grow as his attacks and attempts to break his opponent's guard had been growing. With a confident smile on his face, Jaune stepped in hard with his right foot, bringing his sword over his shoulder again, forcing the blade's edge to glide across Ash's left shoulder and chest and spun again once the blade was free of its target. Once more, Jaune stepped in with his right foot and brought his sword back towards Ash. Unfortunately, as he was already in mid swing, he failed to notice that his opponent had already made a full recovery and was ready to block, dodge, or initiate an attack of his own.

Ash raised his shield and met the incoming blow, stopping it dead in its tracks and stunning the blonde. He waited for a single second for Jaune to recover and react to the new development, but he was frozen solid, simply staring at the dragon in shock that his attack didn't work. Ash bent his shield arm's elbow and slammed his right shoulder against the blonde's body, knocking him down till his was sat and pointed Miló's tip against his throat. After a moment, Jaune was able to move again, but dared not to with something sharp, ready to kill him, it was only when Ash pulled it away and offered a hand to him that he actually moved again. Jaune took the dragon's hand and pulled as Ash pulled until he was back on his feet again.

"A bit too greedy in the end there, but you did quite well. Consider me impressed Mister Arc," Ash smiled at the leader, clapping him on the shoulder as praise. Ash stepped away from his friend and stabbed Miló part way into the ground and placed Akoúo leaning against him before stretching his spine by thrusting his arms towards the sky. "Train like this a bit more and you'll be able to find more strengths in your swordsmanship and weaknesses in others. Now what do you say to—"

Jaune's scroll began to ring, stopping the dragon as they both stared at Jaune's pocket, where the sound was originating. Jaune fished out the scroll and immediately showed the screen to Ash when he saw Ruby's picture displayed on it. Ash gave him a nod, already fighting all of his natural inhibitions worrying about the heiress. Even though he could see the strain on his friend's face, Jaune ensured that everyone in the entire room was able to hear the red-cloaked leader.

"Jaune, can you hear me now?" her voice seemed urgent and panicked, with slight panting in between her words. Already, Jaune could see the walls of Ash's resolve slowly but steadily break down, falling apart faster at every one of Ruby's words. They all knew that Team RWBY could handle anything that comes their way as long as they're together, adding to that, they had the help of Doctor Oobleck. The fact that Ruby was calling now could only mean trouble.

"I can hear you Ruby. What's going on?" he asked, as he motioned for his team to come over as he looked over to Ash. The dragon looked like he was on the verge of going to Mountain Glenn himself and destroying the ruins, if not the mountain itself. Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren surrounded Ash and grabbed on to the boy's clothing and limbs to restrain him.

"Hey Ruby! How's it going?" Nora greeted, slightly nervous that their scuffle with the dragon could be heard. She received a nod of gratitude from her leader as they all tried to restrain Ash even more. Unlike with Lava, Ash didn't have wings therefore they were allowed to focus on restraining Ash's movements. However, also unlike Lava, Ash was able to increase his strength. It was fortunate that he didn't.

"Nora, I know you're excited, but not right now. Something's wrong. Ruby what's with that call from earlier?" Jaune asked, momentarily feeling the regret of the decision as Ash's form began to emit a small plume of thin red smoke. Pyrrha used her semblance to retrieve Miló and Akoúo and placed them on Ash's back, using both her semblance and natural strength to restrain him despite the added strength. "You were saying something about training with Dust?"

"No, listen. The White Fang are here in Mountain Glenn. There's a train full of Dust here and we think they're going to send it to Vale somehow," Ruby's voice was full of panic, as she began to talk faster and faster unknowingly. At that moment, Jaune and the rest of Team JNPR cursed the scythe wielder for the very first time. At her explanation, more of the red smoke came bursting out of Ash, both venting out of his pores and into his restrainers' eyes and nostrils, along with it, a small amount of heat. "You guys need to tell Professor Ozpin about it. And guard the city. You guys need to do something."

At the urgency of her voice, Jaune disabled the microphone of his scroll, ensuring that Ruby wasn't able to heard Ash as he let out a yell of frustration as his strength became to much for the three members to contain. For a single moment, a sudden and thick gust of red smoke hit them all, momentarily losing focus and grip on the dragon. He easily pushed them off, but before he could do anything else. Jaune immediately pushed against him with his shield, having a slight running start, forcing the dragon to face him as he held him still with his shield. He had returned his scroll inside his pocket before, hoping that Ruby would be patient enough to wait for him to say something back or to at least wait a while to speak.

"Ash, listen. There's nothing _you_ can do right now. No matter what you're planning on doing, it won't help them now," Jaune's surprising sudden boost of confidence was enough to hold Ash even for a moment, the red smoke coming from him lessening until he was back to a small plume of red smoke, but nevertheless angry at his uselessness. Ash grit his teeth as he took a step back, allowing the blonde some room to discuss a plan with his fellow leader.

"Mister Arc, if you would please relay some information to Miss Rose for me," the dragon requested with anger still dripping from his teeth as Jaune took his scroll back out, unknowingly reactivating the microphone with his thumb. Jaune gave the dragon a nod as he walked forward to the blonde to whisper, loud enough for him to hear, but quiet enough so that no one but him could hear.

"Jaune!" Ruby's voice came from the scroll again, her panicked shrill voice causing the dragon to release more of the red smoke. Jaune quietly prayed to Oum for the girl to remain quiet so that their friend could restrain himself.

"I'm here Ruby. Listen you guys need to do whatever you can to at least slow down that train," he relayed, as he focused on listening to Ash as closely and as accurately as he could. Ash talked slowly to remain clear, much to the appreciation of the blonde. Jaune muttered a variety of 'Got it' and 'Yeah' before Ash took a step back once everything he wanted to say has been said. "The train tracks were supposed to have been blocked off, not only by the government, but also by the rubble left behind by the Grimm. So even if the tracks were somehow cleared off of the debris, it shouldn't be a smooth ride. It should be slower than it normally would. But we still need you guys to buy us some time. We need to find the city blueprints to figure out where the train tracks and Vale connects."

"We'll do what we can," Weiss responded, almost immediately. Ash's body stiffened at the sound of her voice, and his heart began to race, though he wasn't sure if it was due to his longing or the fact that he had practically sent her, sent all of them to take an entire organization while he was safe, looking at maps. "Hurry up and find those maps. We'll be out of contact while we're in the tunnels. We'll see you soon."

"Be careful. All of you," Jaune told them, though already knew that such a thing wasn't what the team was known for, but a single glance at Ash was enough for anyone to tell that he wanted nothing more than to speak up at the moment; specifically, to speak with Weiss.

Jaune wasn't even able to do so much as press a button to end the call before Ash had taken off, full sprint, towards the headmaster's office. Team JNPR followed soon after, but was only able to catch a glimpse of Ash as he rounded corners, leading them to only be guided by their memory and the sound of his rapid footsteps. Eventually, they caught up with Ash who was rapidly pressing the button to call the elevator to the headmaster's office, catching them by surprise as to how the small button hasn't already been broken. Jaune was the first to walk up to Ash and placed a hand on his shoulder from behind. The dragon didn't even seem to acknowledge his existence as he continued his attempt at destroying the button.

"Ash, listen. You need to—" Jaune began but was cut off when his ears picked up on some of Ash's muttering. The blonde took a step to the side and walked in front of Ash, watching the boy's face, mainly his lips, to try and read them. He was only able to catch a few words, all of it only confusing him more, something about longitude and latitude, as well as a few numbers. "Ash! You need to get a grip! What are you even going to do up there? We should be going to the library or even the Cross Continental Tower if we want blueprints."

"Useless," Ash muttered louder. At first, Jaune thought that the dragon meant him, but by the way his gaze seems to be off somewhere else, it was a thought that was quickly dismissed. The rest of Team JNPR joined their leader in front of Ash, just watching the dragon press the elevator button repeatedly. "Blueprints… all faked… covering up their mistakes… needs official… still faked… fools… better be safe…"

"Ash!" Pyrrha took a step forward and slapped the boy on his right cheek as hard as she possibly could. Ash's face was forced to the left with an obvious scarlet marking of the champion's hand on his cheek. When he finally faced front again, Ash's gaze was finally back to them. "Good. You're back. Now do you want to tell us what you're planning?"

"I'm going to find the point where the tracks meet with the city," he answered, though still slightly out of it, as his voice was still quiet and restrained with no sign of the anger and frustration he was struck with earlier. "Ozpin may have the best maps and blueprints to both the city of Vale and the underground railway."

"How are you feeling?" Ren asked scanning the dragon for anything that may give away some malicious intent, but so far, his restrained and deceptively calm expression proved too impenetrable for even the quiet intellect's scrutinizing gaze to see through.

"I'm angry. So much so that my heart hurts and I can no longer form an expression that could justify it," he replied cautiously. Ash stopped repeatedly pressing the elevator button, and in a blink of an eye, turned the hand into a fist and smashed the button into the wall. The elevator doors opened and the five teens piled in, leaving anyone who may walk by to investigate the fist-sized hole that used to be a button. "I'd better find those girls in pristine condition. If I find so much as a scratch, I'm destroying the White Fang."

Jaune, once again, placed a hand on the dragon's shoulder, as if to comfort him. Despite the clear monotone voice, there was even clearer intent in his voice. They'd never thought they'd ever see a time, when they would be able to see Ash get any angrier than he was with Team CRDL, but now that the occasion was present and for it to be so soon, Team JNPR couldn't help but think of what he could possibly do. And once more, the question of what Ash could destroy with more than just a measly sacrifice of five percent of his total Aura flashed through Pyrrha and Ren's minds.

When the elevator doors opened once more, Ash marched out. Ozpin was at his desk as usual, with Glynda by his side. The two of them seemed to have been talking about the missions they'd send their students on, grading them based on how well they've done what they were supposed to and how many avoidable casualties were caught in the crossfire. However, as soon as they took notice of the elevator doors opening, they stopped and stared, wondering what caused the dragon walking up to them to become so emotionless, but seething with anger.

"The maps of Vale and the surrounding areas and the blueprints of Mountain Glenn. Give them all to me," Ash brazenly demanded, his voice no longer monotone, but back to a restrained anger. Team JNPR followed closely behind him, earning the attention of the headmaster for a brief moment. There was a moment of silence between them as Ozpin analyzed his ex-student. "Now, Ozpin!"

"Very well," he replied calmly, pulling out two folders. One was filled with a dozen maps of the surrounding area, while the other contained three maps of the city of Vale. Ash took them immediately, while Ozpin took out a pawn chess piece, black in color, and placed it on his desk. Immediately, the blueprints of Mountain Glenn appeared on the surface of the table as projections, easy for the dragon to sort through. "I've given you what you asked for, now would you mind telling me what this is all about?"

"Team RWBY's in trouble, sir," Jaune answered as calmly as he could, slightly holding himself back as they all watched Ash, sort through map after map, blueprint after blueprint, as if trying to decipher some secret code hidden on them. "They said that the White Fang is with them at Mountain Glenn and they are trying to send a train to Vale and blow it up."

"Oh dear, that is quite the problem," Ozpin admitted, looking to Glynda, who gave him a nod. The blonde professor maneuvered through her scroll for a few seconds before shaking her head at her colleague. "No good, huh? We can't seem to raise Bart on his scroll. They must've already headed underground. Ash, is there anything we can do to help?"

The dragon didn't answer, too busy with the task at hand to direct even a portion of his focus elsewhere. He threw the maps that he deemed useless to the ground at his feet, and kept the ones that he could use on the side. They all simply let him work, anxious to see what he can manage to figure out. After ten minutes, however, Ash began to feel his frustration rising, and in turn his eyes became heavy with tears. Afraid that he'd disappoint and lose the team that he'd gotten so close to in the span of a month, and especially the one person he'd been with longer than anyone else in the world.

He'd managed to piece together as much as of the southeastern quadrant of the area around the city to the point that Mountain Glenn had actually appeared on the map. As for the hologram on the table's surface, Ash sorted through dozens of the blueprints, from the initial structure of the ruined city to even the blueprints for the Merlot Industries building, and after long minutes of rapidly discarding useless blueprints, he'd found the one he was looking for: the blueprints for the underground railway. A tiny feeling of hope finally rose from within him, only to be smothered by fear and disappoint in the end. When he lined his map with the blueprint, the tracks seem to ignore Vale despite being the closest city. According to what they were looking at, the tracks seem to curve away from Vale, headed out more to the west, miles out from the border.

Ash took apart and placed the maps and blueprint together again, thinking that he had messed up due to his building frustration, but the same image was displayed in front of him in the end. Team JNPR and the professors could only look at the boy as he slowly destroyed himself with his own frustration and anger, obvious that both had already worked their way into his mind, clouding it from any worthwhile judgment as it focused on its task. Once more, Ash took apart the map and placed it together again, spending more time to ensure that he wouldn't mess up even a single placement, to ensure that not even a millimeter of the papers would intersect with one another, only to end in miserable failure.

"No! No! No! No! No!" Ash exclaimed over and over again, voicing out his woes into the room. Glynda took pity on her son, unable to hold back any longer. She walked up to him and embraced him, placing his head against her chest as she pulled him away from his maps. She felt his tears dampen her blouse, but didn't care, simply letting him quietly cry against her. "It doesn't make sense. Why doesn't it make any damned sense? The tracks were supposed to connect to the city. There was supposed to be one. They planned it!"

"We'll find another way Ash," Glynda whispered to him, rubbing his back, trying to comfort him as best she could. From where she was, she looked over to the map he'd created; Oobleck would've been impressed with his knowledge of geography, being able to reconstruct what part of the world map he could with what he was given. Team JNPR took a step forward and examined their friend's handiwork, hoping to find something that he missed, even Ozpin looked like he was trying to. "Maybe they were mistaken? Maybe the train's not headed for Vale."

"That would be worse," he replied, his voice croaked, as his heart remained lodged in his throat and remained muffled as he spoke against Glynda's clothing. The image of Team RWBY fighting against the White Fang, trying to slow down the train as best they could, only for it to completely turn away from Vale, away from him. "We'd have no idea where they'd be going, where the train would actually end up. I may have just consigned them to their deaths."

"We'll follow the tracks, wait for them on the other side," Glynda once more tried to reassure him, even though she knew it won't do a thing. At that point, everything she did was more to escape from the feeling of uselessness as her son suffered at the hands of fate.

"If they perish before they reach the end?" he said negatively as he closed his hands into tight fists, his knuckled popping as he closed them. Glynda hugged him tighter as if to siphon at least some of his suffering. Over at the desk, Team JNPR and Ozpin have yet to find even a flaw in the map created, much less a way to decipher to wrong. "An hour spent constructing a pointless map, and for what? Ensuring that I pass my geography test? I wanted to see them once more."

"Enough. Rest for now. Your mind is still suffering the effects from your hyper focus last night," Glynda tried to reason with him, successful as he gave up trying to find another reason for his failure other than his incompetence. Glynda looked over at the map again and traced the tracks, mainly the one leading all the way west. She thought back and recalled that a simple fishing village was near the end, but no other noteworthy structures. "Perhaps we'll find them at the town nearby the end of the tunnel? They'll be fine."

"That's what doesn't make sense. That village had only been recently built. Not even a decade ago," Ash explained, pushing away from Glynda's chest and looking back at his failed map. His eyes were red and were already beginning to puff, and even though he felt dehydrated, his could feel his eyes still dammed with liquid. "With the destruction of Mountain Glenn, it should be rather off putting to build a village near one of the tunnels… Unless this one is fake as well."

Ash immediately wiggled out of Glynda's embrace and went back to the desk to study his map. Team JNPR and Ozpin looked at him with curious expressions, anxious to see if he's seen something that they hadn't. Ash snatched one of the small maps on the ground and folded it enough to match what he theorized. He grabbed a pen from Ozpin's desk and began to draw on the back of the map, tracing final twenty miles worth of the track, including the curve that turned it away from Vale. It took him a while to trace it exactly, but once he was finished, he placed it over both his made map and the blueprint, connecting the lines starting from the curve. He continued to turn his traced portion of the track, every possible way it made sense, until finally the track that was once headed west was now headed north, running straight through Vale.

A new feeling of hope rose within Ash. He immediately took note of the angle of the where the train tracks were coming from, before he swiped every single piece of the map away, pulling the enlarged map of Vale. 164 degrees south by southeast, Ash tracked the direction and tried to find a possible entrance for the train. Unfortunately, with the tracks going through the entire city, it left miles to search, simply no time to search without direction. It made no sense to him for the train to circle around just to surface at Vale, immediately ignoring the northeastern quadrant of the city. With the path paved with streets and center of various buildings, only one place made sense to him, but at the same time, a foolish decision of those who built the tracks: the main plaza of the city. Unlike the rest of the city, the main plaza was slightly sunken, enabling the possibility a substation.

"The plaza," Ash said out loud, barely able to even believe it himself. He couldn't be wrong, not unless he was willing to risk the well being of the citizens, as well as the lives of Team RWBY and Doctor Oobleck. "We need to evacuate the area… now."

Ash collapsed to his knees, stabilizing himself with his right hand placed on Ozpin's desktop. Nora was the first to act, sliding on her knees to catch the dragon. He could see them opening their mouths to speak, and even hear them speaking, but almost as if he was yards under water while the rest were still up on the surface. Their voices were muffled; even Nora's when she was right next to his ear. His head throbbed, as if a heart beat within his skull. Each beat of this supposed heart, unfocused his eyes making him see double or triple and forced him closer and closer to ground, weakening him, draining him of all his energy and strength. Soon he was asleep, though not even slumber could give him an escape from the throbbing pain.

"What happened to him?" Pyrrha asked, as Nora placed the dragon on the ground, lying down on the floor on his back. His eyes were closed shut with his eyebrows crunched together in pain. Glynda kneeled down next to him, looking him over for any injuries other than the obvious fatigue.

"He pushed himself too far," Ozpin answered, shaking his head with a smile, keeping an eye on the hastily drawn portion of the track. With the needless information of knowing where the tracks lead, the maps and blueprints were never looked over and had only been collecting dust within his desk's drawer. "His hyper focus last night is still affecting him. Too much stimuli, and this happens, though normally, the people who've entered hyper focus don't suffer such anger, frustration, and hope all in a single hour. He'll be fine after a good rest, though having him participate in this upcoming defense wouldn't be the best idea. We'll have him sleep at Beacon the entire day."

* * *

Ash found himself in a blank world with only a single long wooden table in front of him. On the tabletop, was a familiar looking heavy sword with the Atlas symbol on the guard, as well as the bracer that came with it, and metal gloves that he had gotten so familiar with. He walked up to the table and placed his hand on the gloves. He found himself looking at the pair longingly, slightly missing the feel of the cloth and the cold metal, though at the same time, a pang of regret made itself known to him. He looked around for a bit longer but found nothing else but the white backdrop. When he looked back at the tabletop, the sword began to glow until it was a simple blinding light. When he was able to see again, the blade lost its metallic color, but was replaced with a darker shade of gray. It would've struck him as weird if it weren't for the sound of something metallic scraping against the floor behind him.

He turned around and found a complete shadow slowly walking towards him with a sword in its right hand, composed of similar shadow substance as the owner. It's form seemed flicker on and off like a true shadow playing in the sunlight, and it stopped mere ten yards from Ash. It pointed the tip of its shadow blade in front of it, as if to challenge the dragon to a duel. Instead of accepting the challenge, Ash looked around once more trying to find something else to do other than fight the shadow. When he found nothing else, he prepared for a fight. He raised his hands, open handed, ready to disarm his foe should the need arise. However, the shadow refused to move.

After a minute of simply waiting, the shadow acknowledged that its opponent refused to wield and weapon and charged in. Ash met his charge with one of his own. The shadow swung downward at the dragon, but Ash dodged to the side leaving the sword to strike the ground. Ash threw a straight towards the chin of the shadow, but his fist fazed through it like it wasn't even there. However, in his shock, he failed to notice the shadow raised its left arm before it managed to strike Ash on the chin with an unbelievable amount of force. Ash forced into the air as the strike actually hurt, unlike the dreams he's had before; it almost felt like he was meditating. When he was struck with the shadow's left forearm, it felt like metal, perhaps indicating that it was a shadow covered automaton or, even more likely, it was wearing a metal bracer.

Ash took several steps back when he landed, watching the shadow for any movement, but it remained still. Ash took several more steps back until he hit something solid. He turned around and found the table from before staring back at him. Having little to no choice, Ash equipped himself with the gear he once had on. The familiar feel of the constrictions of both the metal gloves and the metal bracer embraced him like a long lost friend, the metal cool to the touch and yet comforting. The blade, however, despite having thought that it was only the color that changed, seemed to be heavier than it was before – it felt nice, better. He turned back to the shadow once more, ready to fight again.

As the two began their battle, Ash almost missed his dragon mother's voice, soft, kind, warm, and welcoming.

 _It's time to teach you how to fight like a dragon._


	35. We Have No Other Choice

Team RWBY held on for dear life, with Ruby holding on to her pet corgi as well, as the Paladin that Doctor Oobleck was piloting barreled through the rubble that was once a building before he blasted it away, the White Fang activists that remained in the warehouse like substation to guard the organization's supply of stolen Dust crates, and the cacophony of metal grinding on metal as their mode of transportation ran on the rails after the train that had long already departed. The information they received from Jaune turned out to be true, as they managed to catch up to the Dust filled train rather quickly as it had to remain on a slower pace else it risks being derailed by the rocks and rust on the tracks. That, however, didn't mean all was right as rainbows.

Sure, they may have caught up to their target, but they weren't exactly at a position to so much as reach out and touch it, much less try and slow it down. There were many activists on board the locomotive, despite the already packed state of each car, shooting at them in an attempt to get them off of their trail and perhaps even kill them. It was only due to the Paladin's heavy armor and the doctor's quick deciphering of the armor's controls that they were all able to avoid any unnecessary damage to their person.

Team RWBY was at the back of the armor, where none of the Dust projectiles could get to them. Every once in a while, one of them would peek out from the Paladin's shoulders and try to take out as many of the activists as they could with the already limited ammunition they had. Doctor Oobleck would have tried to do so himself with the Paladin's plasma cannons, but the targeting system had been destroyed by one of Weiss' summoned swords and even if it hadn't, several of the summoned swords had imbedded themselves far enough inside the arms to disconnect the cannon's to the armor's Dust storage.

It was slow and methodical, with one of them peeking out first to attract the gaze of the activists the best she can before any combination of the others, or just one of them, would peek out for a second and try to shoot down as many as they possibly could. The doctor wouldn't be outdone, however. Whenever he could he would pick up a boulder and throw it at the activists. Some of them would jump out of the way, even if it meant jumping off the train and rolling away from it, draining whatever Aura they have left from doing so.

"We have to hurry!" Blake yelled over the sounds of the roaring wind, the gunshots, and the thumps of each step the Paladin makes. She peeked out from above the cockpit and quickly ducked as at least a dozen rifles were trained at her and unloaded as much of their ammunition as they could in the brief moment the activists saw her. "How are there still more? I feel like we've been doing this forever already!"

"It's cause we have!" Yang yelled back, her growing frustration with the situation they were in clear in her tone of voice. She pushed herself up from the Paladin's back until she was standing on top of its cockpit. Immediately, the activists took aim and opened fire on her, while Yang did the same. She braved through the numerous bullets while she let out a few of her own. Her shells exploded on contact, sending many of the activists flying off of the train. "Now doctor! Get us closer!"

"Well done Yang," the doctor's voice came booming out of the speakers, his voice echoing in the tunnel, though drowned out by the sound of the train wheels grinding on the rusted rails. He forced the Paladin to move faster, steadily catching up to the train. Once they were next to it, Team RWBY and Zwei jumped on the top just in time to escape the Paladin slightly tumbling over as the right leg stopped functioning for a brief moment. The Paladin recovered, but its speed significantly decreased, no longer able to catch up to the train, only match its speed. "Go! Go to the front and stop the train, or at the very least slow it down! The evacuation order must've already been processed! Go!"

Though less confident about their situation without their professor, the five of them turned and moved on, opening the first hatch they found. There, as if to mock them, was a device they'd seen the White Fang carefully caring around whilst they loaded the train. It's outer layer was mainly a gray metal with a near perfect hexagonal prism in shape, with a valve on both ends. It had a black screen on one surface, simply embedded in the device with an unknown purpose. On the nearest two surfaces were a series of wires varying from gray, blue, and red in color connect to the inside of the device and three cylinders on the outside. They simply stared at it for a second before the sounds of a complicated machine came from inside it and the screen began to blink red.

"That's a bomb," Ruby said nonchalantly, receiving nods in agreement from her teammates as a casual yelp from her pet. In a matter of seconds, the five of them were on top of the next train car, while the one they were standing on decoupled itself from the rest. Ruby turned in panic, watching the train car back up closer to the Paladin. "Doctor! Look out! There's a bomb on that train car!"

"Ruby! There are bombs in all of these train cars!" Yang yelled from behind her. Her voice was rather far away, very nearly being carried by the wind, only to dissipate before reaching the intended targets. Ruby turned towards her voice and found Zwei still next to her, while her teammates were on the following three train cars, standing next to open hatches. "We need to stop this train NOW!"

Ruby's train car shook for a moment before decoupling itself like the last. Ruby and Zwei ran to the front and jumped over to the next, turning around to check on the teacher as soon as they landed. Oobleck managed to successfully dodge the train cars and escape the explosion that followed soon after. The train car seemed to jump up as the explosion pushed it up from the force alone. It collided with the ceiling causing the decayed structure to collapse, leaving a large gaping hole from the point of impact.

In a matter of seconds, Grimm of all nature peered and jumped in, their curiosity of what could've possibly created such a large hole on the ground. It only took the creature a few moments to spot the running Paladin, as well as the train. Like moths to a flame, the Grimm began their chase. Most of them completely ignored the Paladin, simply chasing the train to the best of their ability. This mostly composed of the faster of the Grimm, mainly Beowolves and some Boarbatusk, while the slower ones barely kept up with either the train or the Paladin. There were times when the Paladin would slide to the side and hit the passing Grimm, propelling them to the wall, crushing bones and organs alike.

Team RWBY and Zwei gathered at the last train car and the girls took aim at the Grimm chasing them while Zwei simply barked at them, as if hoping that it would deter the creatures. Team RWBY unleashed a barrage of bullets and Dust, careful with their aim, not wanting to waste even a single bit of their ammunition. It wasn't long after that though, that the train car shook, knocking them all off balance for a brief moment, managing to regain their balance before they fall over and even off the train. The car decoupled itself from the rest, with the bomb inside already beeping relentlessly. The girls and the corgi jumped to the next train car, looking ahead to see more White Fang activists pouring out of the train cars.

Behind them, the Paladin picked up the decoupled train car and spun around, throwing it at the King Taiju that was chasing them. It made the mistake of simply hissing at the thrown car with one head, thinking that it was just another projectile that usually killed its brethren. When the car struck its open mouth, the bomb detonated, blowing the head to pieces and propelling the train car up towards the ceiling like the others. As another hole opened, more of the Grimm poured in, including two more King Taijus.

Some of the Beowolves attacked the Paladin, but the armor proved to be useful as the claws of the Grimm simply bounced off, barely leaving a scratch from where the claws scraped against it. As more jumped on the armor in an attempt to push it down to the ground with their weight, Oobleck swung both of the Paladin's arms around, swatting aside whatever Grimm it could out of the air and even crushing some that remained on the ground. Unfortunately, due to the strenuous and random movements, the already battered Paladin lost functionality of its left arm, as it simply became nothing more than a complex decoration that constantly released sparks from frayed and cut cords that spilled outside the armor.

"Great! If it wasn't already hard enough to stop this damned thing with just the White Fang, we have to deal with the Grimm now too!" Yang yelled, letting her frustration and dislike of the situation, though her voice was inevitably lost in the sounds of the train and the roars and screeches of the creatures of Grimm. Unable to contain herself, Yang fired off a shell towards a Beowolf that decided to try its luck and pounce towards them. When the shell connected with its body, it didn't immediately explode; it was only when the Beowolf it was dragging along collided with another did the shell detonate like normal, blowing the two to bits. "If we do manage to stop this thing, then we don't have an exit other than back the way we came from, through all the Grimm. What do we do?"

"We have to stop the train," Ruby said solemnly, fear of the possibility of death evident in her voice and expression. Her eyes were half closed, looking at the ground, her eyebrows were crunched together as if trying to get to the other, and her irises were quaking as if in the process of accepting their fate. She knew that every hero had to meet his or her end sooner or later, but she'd always thought that it would later than sooner. "We can't let the Grimm into Vale… no matter what. This is what we've been training for. We have no other choice."

As yet another train car decoupled from the rest while the bomb within prepared itself to detonate, Team RWBY and Zwei jumped to the next once more. Ruby, Blake, and Yang stayed at the edge for a brief moment, before looking up to see that the heiress was at the open hatch ready to jump in. The car was filled with the Dust crates loaded earlier, leaving barely any room for anyone to stay there comfortably for the remainder of the trip from the substation to Vale. However, the sight meant that there weren't any more bombs waiting for them and that there weren't any activists waiting for them down below. She jumped down once she'd made sure it was all clear, almost immediately followed by Zwei, who seemed to be rather excited on being a train. The rest of Team RWBY soon followed, momentarily forgetting their peril.

Once inside, all three looked around and found their teammate prying a crate open with the tip of her blade as a makeshift crowbar, with the corgi next to her, looking up at her as if it expecting her to pull a treat out of the box for him to snack on. With the tip of her blade well in between the lid and the body, Weiss pulled down as hard as she could, unable to restrain the grunt that came from using such force. The lid popped open with a crack, unceremoniously taking some excess wood from the body along with it. Weiss peered in and looked inside as her teammates joined her.

"I don't want to die here, rather, I don't want to die yet," she told them while she rummaged through the contents of the crate, only gauging the distance of her friends from their footsteps. The crate contained Dust vials of a wide variety of colors that could almost put the students of Beacon to shame… almost. Among them, she could see some that were pale in color, meaning that some of the Dust that Ash had used before such as the EMP and Flash Dust were successfully mass-produced, though unfortunately stolen. "But I'm not going to put the people of Vale at risk just to guarantee my safety. We're all scared, terrified even, but we all knew the risk when we wanted to be Huntresses."

"She's right," Ruby conceded, checking Crescent Rose's magazine, and reloading it for any missing bullets. Blake and Yang did the same, though neither of them could find a full magazine, even Yang seemingly endless belts of shells within Ember Celica could barely fill up half of a single belt in each gauntlet. "We need to get to the front first. We can figure out how to stop the train after. We'll stop it, even if we have to blow it up… somehow."

"That might not be so hard," Weiss said cautiously as she stepped away from the crate she busily searching. With their curiosity taking them over, Ruby, Blake, and Yang walked over to the crate and looked inside. Whatever Weiss was looking for didn't seem to be any of the contents inside as a large amount of the vials were moved to the side if they weren't already on the ground. In the middle and at the bottom, was another bomb, though it didn't seem to be active. "You'd think the Dust alone would cause a large enough explosion. Seems that they want to cause as much destruction as possible. I think the amount of casualties that will inevitably involved is just an extra."

What happened to the White Fang?" Blake found herself asking out loud, stunned by what she could imagine the destruction that the obscene amount of Dust along with an unknown amount of bombs would cause. With the amount of research they did on the organization before, it was easy to see that the White Fang was rather successful in their heists, which is why she couldn't understand why such destruction was needed. "It's has to be Torchwick. He has to be the one that planned all of this. The White Fang wouldn't resort to this. They have no reason to destroy _any_ of the cities."

"We can ask that scoundrel when we take him to custody," Weiss tried to reassure her teammate, trying her best to not let her former opinions on all Faunus rise up again, even though she still thought the same about the members of the terrorist organization. She recovered from the shock of the sight of the bomb, and pried open another crate and began to search it. "Even if we fail to stop this train, we've already informed Professor Ozpin of it, meaning that we'll have people on the other side. We can only hope that the explosion doesn't surprise them, endanger the civilians, or hurt us too bad. Ah, here they are."

Weiss pulled out several vials of Ice Dust and began to fill her small pouch with all but one, instead placing it in an empty slot in her weapon's revolving Dust chamber. She tested the vial by creating a single glyph and launching a sharp icicle at the back of the train, shattering upon impact on the metal door. As the sound of shattering ice resonated throughout the train car, several red lines flickered on like lights on the sides of the door, giving slight illumination to the humanoid figure it belonged to.

Half a dozen of the old Atlesian Knight-130's stepped forward and turned towards the team with arms thrust forward in the form of small Gatling guns. Another half a dozen Knights appeared at the front of the car with the same red light in the chinks of their armor, though unlike the others, they had their arms as blades ready for battle. Team RWBY readied themselves, though were mainly looking for an exit, not wanting to get caught in an explosion when a stray bullet inevitably hits one of the Dust vials or possibly even the bomb.

"Intruder, identify yourself," one of the Knights from the back said, its cold, robotic voice echoing in the cramped car despite the loud sound of metal grinding on metal from the wheels against the rails outside. None moved, but when Weiss took a step forward to introduce herself, the one that spoke immediately pointed one of its guns to the ground in front of her and shot a single bullet, stopping the heiress in her tracks. "Remain still and identify yourself. This your final warning."

"Weiss Schnee of the Schnee Dust Company," Weiss said, guiding her right hand to her chest, over her heart. She placed her rapier back at her hip to show that she had no ill intent even though her name should've sufficed. The Knight raised its arm and kept one trained on her while the other was trained at her team, mainly at Blake. "This is my team. Stand down. Now."

"Weiss Schnee, identity unknown," it replied, its guns for arms spinning, winding up for rapid fire. The other behind it began to do the same; even the ones at the front turned their bladed arms into firearms and took aim at the group with cylinders winding up. "Scanning. Grimm identified."

"Wait, we're not—" Ruby tried to reason with it, but before she could finish, her sister grabbed her by the waist and jumped up to the hatch, vaulting over to the roof along with Weiss and Blake, who begrudgingly had Zwei in her arms. Down below, the orchestra of bullets began, with each group of Knights unleashing every single bullet they could before they were ripped to shreds by the other group.

The girls and Zwei jumped to the next car terrified for their lives when they saw, as expected, a stray bullet nick the bomb that they'd uncovered. Blake jumped down to the coupling and sliced at it once, freeing the last car from the rest. In a matter of seconds, it exploded in a variety of colors as every vial exploded along with it. The hole it blew in the ceiling was larger than the rest, enough for three Deathstalkers and a legion of other Grimm to join them in the tunnel. From behind, the Paladin had to dodge the large pieces of rubble on the ground as well as Grimm that constantly fell like rain.

More Dust shots and bullets came from the front as White Fang activists traversed the tops of the train cars, shooting at the team whenever they were stable enough, though due to the constant shaking of the train were unable to land a hit on the team. Those who weren't carrying guns had to dodge their own comrade's shots as they made their way to the back carrying a variety of weapons, from bladed weapons such as machetes and katana to being satisfied with their own claws. The hatches of the next two train cars opened and more Knights jumped up, with bladed arms. From several cars up, a single Paladin jumped up on the roof.

"Ok, so someone hates us right now," Yang complained as she reeled her right arm back and thrust it forward, firing off a shell from Ember Celica, the explosive round striking an activists dead on his chest, carrying towards another activist before exploding. The Paladin in front shot a few plasma shots at the team, with three of them missing completely as the train made a sudden turn, while the other landed just at the edge of the train car they stood on, blasting it off from the rest.

The four girls and the corgi jumped as far as they could to the next car, with Blake using her semblance to propel herself further and faster, letting Gambol Shroud go to swing it around with the ribbon its connected to. The wide swing caught six activists with the ribbon, pushing them all off the train, leaving them to the mercy of the Grimm behind them. When Ruby landed, she slammed the tip of her scythe into the metal train car, steadying her aim. Before she could pull the trigger, Weiss placed a white glyph in front of the barrel. The two of them simply smiled, as if they already that they had won.

Ruby began to unload every single bullet she had on to anything, anyone in front of her. The first shot struck the Paladin in the distance, icicles very quickly forming around the joint between the body and the right leg. As it tried to take another step forward, it found that it couldn't move its right leg properly, barely able to even lift it and move it forward a single foot. The glyph turned dark purple in color before the second shot was let loose. Once again, the bullet struck the Paladin's joint, the Gravity Dust boosted bullet pushing the leg back leaving the body to topple forward. Due to the lack of stable ground, the Paladin rolled off the train and like the other activists, was left to the mercy of Grimm. The third bullet was fired through a yellow glyph and struck the chest of one Knight. An electrical current surged throughout its body before it seemingly tore through it and spread to the other Knights around it, leaving them as nothing more than twitching metal as the red light on their armor flickered off, never to return again.

"Blake!" Weiss called out, reaching into the small bag on her hip and pulling out a black strip with orbs of various colored Dust embedded into it and tossing it to the cat Faunus. Blake caught it and looked at it curiously before storing it in the Dust compartment of her weapon. "This should help you."

Blake ran forward after Ruby stopped to reload Crescent Rose with her final magazine. The activists and Knights began to shoot at her, something that she had to brave through to test her hypothesis about the Dust she was given. When she found herself in the middle of the group, she jumped into the air, leaving behind one of her shadows, though unlike the usual perfect copy, it was blazing red with fire crackling at the outlines and no other distinct features. Once she was five yards up, she activated her semblance again and this time left behind a shadow that was emerald green in color. When she pushed off from it, it propelled her fast, back to her team. As she flew past the activists, the red shadow she initially left behind, exploded in a wide ball of fire, the force and heat pushing the Faunus out of the way and incinerating the exposed weaknesses in the Knights.

In the back, Oobleck had been getting further and further away with the train losing the back train cars every now and then. If it weren't for the Paladin's cameras he wouldn't be able to see his students now. He'd swing the Paladin's arms every now and then, swatting any Grimm caught in their path against the walls and ceiling at an alarming speed. Unfortunately though, as a last moment of heroism for the cause he believed in, the Paladin caused to fall from the train aimed up and the ceiling and unleashed a dozen plasma shots, destroying the decayed structure, causing more holes and more Grimm to fall into the tunnel. Almost immediately, the Faunus was swarmed with a myriad of Grimm and was ripped the armor to shreds by the smaller claws and teeth of the Beowolves and Ursai before a King Taiju slammed into the cockpit and destroyed the entire thing and swallowed the Faunus inside. Now blocked from his students by both rubble and Grimm, Oobleck was forced to stop.

Unaware of their professor's predicament, Team RWBY advanced forward, unable to notice the fact that the sounds of Grimm had began to die out behind them with the constant barrage of Dust and bullets coming from the front along with screams and curses being thrown their way. Yang was the first to take the lead, jumping over to the next car, grabbing one of the activists, using him as a shield from the ones in front as she advanced, throwing him towards his comrades before Yang jumped up and slammed her right fist on the train car. The force of her strike alone shook the car nearly off the rails, while the shot from Ember Celica blasted the Faunus away.

Weiss was next, running past Yang and over to the next car, already pulling her weapon back to strike. As soon as her feet made contact with the car, she created a glyph behind her and used it to slide past the entire car, freezing anything that she passed. As she reached the end, she immediately stabbed her weapon into the metal, not caring that she had to endure a barrage of bullets as she did so. Six glyphs with the four rotating swords appeared just above her, creating and launching a single sword each. The snow-white swords flew irregularly through the air, turning to the nearest opponent and slicing at it, and would've kept at it if they hadn't already fallen off the train. Weiss stood up, looking back to her blonde teammate with a victorious smirk as she had successfully cleared two cars against Yang's one.

Blake rushed past her over to the car following the next and swung her weapon around like a whip once more, clearing the first quarter before running right to the middle. Once she stood just in front of the Faunus that she had once called family, she created a standing shadow made of stone to face them while she moved just behind it and crouched. There, she created another clone made of pure fire and ran back as far and as fast as she could. The fire clone detonated like the one before it, the force it created ripping the stone one apart, sending both shrapnel and heat towards the White Fang activists, draining their Aura and pushing them off the train. Before the Faunus and Knights of the next car could begin shooting, Yang and Ruby jumped from the previous car behind Blake and began shooting. Together, they managed to clear the next car to save their friend from the bullets.

However, no matter how much they cleared, more activists and Knights appeared at further cars and along with them another Paladin. They were confident at defeating activists and Knights without ammunition. However, defeating a Paladin was another story. They opened the hatch of the car they were on and jumped in, escaping the Dust and bullets. Once more, they were surrounded with Dust crates and a single weapon box. Blake threw her weapon at the hatch, hooking the blade at the handle and pulled it down. She then grabbed a sword from the weapon box and shoved it through the handle, barricading the hatch, ensuring that it won't open easily. From the outside, they could hear explosions and the tunnel rumbling as more holes were opened up, no doubt by the Paladin.

"This is crazy!" Ruby complained, checking her magazine, finding it empty. She reached back to grab another, but only found one clip with a symbol of four arrows all pointed at a large black dot in the middle left. It was a clip of Gravity Dust that she always carried, but due to the fact that it doesn't send out a projectile and merely propels her small frame, it wasn't much use. "I'm out of ammo. How can this get any worse?"

"I'm out too," Yang confessed as she opened Ember Celica, popping the empty shells out of the gauntlets. Red shells littered the floor around her as she punched a hole in one of the crates. When she pulled her arm out, a dozen vials spilled out until the rest all got caught together in the fist sized hole, very loosely plugging it up. "I'm liking this less and less."

"More bad news. I'm out of ammo too," Blake admitted, looking at an empty clip before putting it back in her weapon, silently cursing their luck and lack of proper preparation. She turned to her team and found Weiss taking more vials from the crates and loaded her weapon, thankful that at least she has currently has more ammunition that she could possibly ever use. "I guess there's a silver lining to everything. I'm glad to see that you're not having any trouble finding Dust. Perks of being a Schnee, huh?"

"I would argue with you if these crates didn't have the Schnee family symbol on them," Weiss said, practically brushing off the comment. Sure, before the comment would've created a small argument between them, but as of their current situation, some things had to take priority. The entire train shook for a moment and the loud screeching of the brakes trying to force the train to stop blared through the tunnel. "What's going on? Is the train stopping?"

The door opened ahead of them and a single Knight stepped through, though behind it, they could see nothing more than humanoid automatons with red lights blaring through the armor. From the sides, the team could see the rest of the train very slowly though steadily speeding away.

Without saying a word, Weiss concentrated on the space in front of her, trying to use her emotions to empower her semblance, and created a single glyph in between her team and the Knights. The glyph was three times the size of any other glyph she'd made up to that point, and had the four rotating swords in the middle. The lone Knight in the room began shooting, but the glyph proved to be solid enough to shield the team from the barrage. Slowly, from the center, a large sword was being made, only revealing the tip before the blade shout out like a bullet. The blade impaled the leading Knight, before the guard shattered it to pieces from the force. It turned as it entered the next car so that the guard was horizontal, and smashed the other Knights into pieces as well before they were able to do anything.

The sword pierced the far door along with some poor Knight, pushing the car a little bit more. Weiss had hoped to anchor the car to the train using a sword, but with what little they could see, the tip of the blade had only managed to scratch the metal. The five of them jumped up on to the roof of the car and watched helplessly as the train left them behind. As their car came to a stop, they looked behind them expecting to see their professor, but instead found more Grimm already sprinting their way. In a moment of desperation, Ruby tried to think of anything that could help them, keeping ordering her team to run away on the side just in case they thought of something.

She looked around and found her team ready to fight, even though their exhaustion and fear of the hopeless situation was evident on their faces. They all wanted to live another day, to go back to Beacon, back to their friends and continue their misadventures. In comparison to their current situation, they'd even go out and say that school was the best thing in the world. Then she remembered her last magazine.

"Yang find a way to stop the brakes, doesn't matter if you need to destroy it. Weiss go back to the other car and grab as much Dust as you possibly can, then hold off the Grimm. Blake, cut us loose from the other train car, and help Weiss as much as you can without putting yourself in danger," she had an unsure look on her face, but she had something, and that was enough for them. Without saying a word, they immediately split off and got to work.

Yang looked around inside the car, trying desperately to find a brake release but found nothing. She stepped outside and her semblance flared to life before she rolled underneath the car. She struck the wheels as hard as she could, aiming for the clasp brakes on each set of wheels. The clamps released the wheels quickly before falling off, covering Yang in a light coating of dust and rust as they did so.

Blake jumped down and sliced at the link between the two cars and the thick congregation of metal quickly gave way, releasing the link. She jumped into the last car, where she saw Weiss hurriedly searching through crate after crate, grabbing everything that she thought she needed. Blake ran past her and exited the door in the back. She readied herself to face off against the impossibly large number of Grimm, hoping that whatever Ruby had planned will work, _and_ if they were lucky, the way it was supposed to work.

Weiss continued to search for a single minute more, before running out the back, finding Blake already locked in a skirmish against a pack of Beowolves. She reached into her bag and pulled out a Dust crystal, pale blue in color and cold to the touch. She threw it as far as she could towards her teammate, and landed just in front of her, momentarily garnering the attention of both Faunus and Grimm. Blake, knowing what will happen next, immediately jumped back and shielded her eyes, just in time for the Beowolves to be bathed in a blinding light, leaving them swatting at the air around them as if fighting an invisible enemy.

In their moment of blindness, Weiss and Blake snuck up behind them and slit their throats, with none even knowing what happened to their pack members or them. The two huntresses in training turned towards the back and found more Grimm coming their way. Weiss produced another pale blue Dust crystal from her bag and threw it as far as she could. When the crystal exploded in another bright light, the heiress reached into her bag once more and pulled out three vials of Fire, Ice, and Gravity Dust, loading all three in Myrtenaster.

Blake rushed forward and placed a stone shadow in front of the Grimm, and stood beside it before making another clone made of ice. Once more, she used her semblance to make a clone of pure fire behind the two already made and jumped back as far as she could. In a moment, the fire clone exploded, sending shards of stone and ice hurtling towards the Grimm. The wide angle of the blast proved to work against Blake as only most kept running towards them, hardly even deterred by what just happened. Those that were caught, on the other hand, now had holes in their arms, legs, chests, and throats.

As Blake cleared her, Weiss created a dozen glyphs around them, sending sharp icicles to impale the Beowolves, Ursai and Creeps. Those that managed to escape the icicles, either by staying near the back and dodging or simply by sacrificing others, were set ablaze when Weiss created more glyphs on the ground, enough to stretch across the width of the tunnel, just before them. When a King Taiju decided to join the skirmish, it hardly felt a thing when the icicles hit it and hissed when it slithered across the fire. From behind them, they managed to catch sight of Yang crawling out from under the train car, covered in dirt and rust. Knowing that preparation for Ruby's plan was complete; Weiss created one more glyph around the snake's body and lifted it up in the air, expending a whole vial of Gravity Dust by doing so. As soon as the snake was rendered immobile, Weiss and Blake ran back towards the cars and jumped up on the roof of the second one where their friends were waiting.

"Hold on to something!" Ruby yelled as she stabbed the tip of Crescent Rose's blade into the car. Weiss and Blake did the same with their weapons and held on tight. Yang grabbed onto Blake, hugging her partner like a lifeline, and in the situation, she might actually be just that. Weiss reached over and grabbed Zwei, hugging him close to her body as tightly as she could without suffocating the dog. Ruby pulled the trigger and the Gravity Dust did what it meant to do: propel Ruby along with anything that may be attached to her.

The screeching of the wheels echoed in the tunnel as the car traveled on the rails faster than it was before. Ruby periodically pulled the trigger whenever she felt the momentum begin to drop. Having only twenty shots in each clip, she had to time each shot and use them all to the maximum potential, though from the start she had no idea if they even catch up to the train with such a method. There were a few times when they felt the car nearly tip over when they had to make a turn, but Weiss was ready. She created a solid glyph at the side of the train that it was tipping over, keeping them on the rails, but draining their speed. As Crescent Rose's clip began to reach its final bullets, they finally manage to catch sight of the train. When the smallest bit of hope began to rise in their chests, it was ripped away by the sight of a concrete wall just ahead of the locomotive.

"Ruby! Stop us!" Yang yelled, almost getting lost in the cacophony of screeching metal. Ruby pulled Crescent Rose out of the train car, only to stab it in again on the opposite side. She spent what few bullets she had left to stop their car or at the very least slow their momentum enough so that they don't crash.

Ahead, the train seemed to be empty of the Faunus and Paladins that had once been on it, leaving the Knights there, completely deactivated except for one standing up front with a bomb in its hand. When the engine collided with the concrete wall, the bomb in the Knight's hand detonated, along with the crates of Dust still inside the rest of the cars. The force of the explosion went back to Team RWBY's train car, providing very little resistance to stop it, though unfortunately not enough to completely stop it.

Weiss released her weapon from its metal confines and quickly made her way to Ruby, motioning the rest of her teammates to follow her. Weiss grabbed Ruby by the waist and she felt both Blake and Yang grab on to hers. Zwei whimpered in her arms as she stabbed Myrtenaster into the train car again. At the expense of her remaining Ice Dust, she created a thick ice barrier around them; with all of them hoping that it would be enough to save them from the impending crash.

They barely knew what happened afterwards. They came to from unconsciousness mere seconds after the train cars collided, finding themselves sprawled out on the ground next to the exploded train, dazed and momentarily confused as to why they were there, though almost completely unharmed. An Ursa snapped them all out of the state. It stood on its hind legs behind Blake, roaring and already swinging a heavy paw towards the Faunus. Unable to react to it in time, Blake closed her eyes and prepared herself for the incoming blow, only to open her eyes a few moments later when the blow never came. She looked up and found a familiar looking autumn colored javelin pinning the Ursa to a fallen train car by the neck.

"Hey! Are you guys ok!?" Jaune called out. They turned to the direction of his voice and found all of Team JNPR running towards them. Team RWBY and Zwei all stood up and shook their heads, clearing their heads.

They took a look around once more and found themselves on the edges of the city's plaza with various teams from the academies already engaged in a large battle against the Grimm, though from what they could see there were no civilians around, even the buildings around them looked empty. They panned their gaze to their sister team and found them in their battle gear, ready to fight the Grimm, the only anomaly was Jaune with a backpack behind him in the shape of a smiling rabbit head; the mascot of Pumpkin Pete's.

"What kind of unholy abomination is on your back?" Weiss asked the blonde leader, holding her head in pain. Ruby and Yang were trying their best to hold in their laughter, finding the near insignificant thing fairly comical despite their situation.

"It's Pumpkin Pete's backpack. I got it after sending in fifty box tops," the blonde admitted proudly, causing the two sisters to bust out in laughter along with Nora's giggling. Pyrrha placed a hand on her partner's shoulder, slightly ashamed at the prideful comment. He swung the backpack to the front and placed it on the ground before opening it, showing Team RWBY the contents: ammunition for every single one of Team RWBY's weapons was nearly spilling out from the top. "Anything to say?"

"You have the best backpack in history," Yang said quickly, diving in to backpack to find the belts of shells for Ember Celica. Ruby agreed as she dove in as well, like a hungry wolf. Blake was silent, waiting for her teammates to get clear of the backpack before she looks for her own ammunition. "Damn Vomit Boy, come to my rescue again and I'll be forced to kiss you."

"How'd you guys find the connection?" Blake asked, readying her weapon despite the lack of ammunition, just in case some Grimm tries to attack them again. Team JNPR looked at each other, concerned, directing their attention mostly to Pyrrha as if having a mental conversation with her.

"Where is he?" Weiss asked, looking around, at every team, at every person, looking for a familiar face. She could see Lava flying in the sky cutting and killing the Nevermores that flew above with what was supposed to be her broken sword, but now fully repaired. However, no matter how hard or how long she looked, she couldn't find Ash. "Where is he? Don't tell me he ran away in fear of being seen by us."

"He's injured," Pyrrha admitted cautiously, rising suspicion with the members of Team RWBY. She looked in the direction of Beacon trying to find Ash in her mind's eye. She could envision him lying down, unconscious, at Glynda Goodwitch's bed, eyes crunched together like a person trapped in a nightmare. "According to Professor Ozpin he overworked his mind and is suffering for it now. After we defend Vale, you can see him yourself."

Pyrrha stepped forward and grabbed Weiss by her shoulders, staring into her light blue orbs with intent.

"Go see him," Pyrrha continued, trying to send a hidden message to the heiress, but Weiss only looked at her confused. They all knew better than to assume that Ash was dying, that's why their curiosity peaked.

"What happened to him?" Yang asked as she and Ruby stood back up, fully stocked with ammunition, allowing Blake to step in and find her own clips. Pyrrha shook her head, as she let go of Weiss and pulled her Miló out of the train now that the Ursa had fully disintegrated off of her weapon. "What, you don't know? I thought you guys were there with him?"

"It's better if you ask him yourselves," Jaune admitted, tightening his grip on his sword and shield. The roars and screeches of Grimm from the tunnel gathered their attention, forcing Blake to move faster at gathering ammunition. They all readied to fight against the insurmountable odds. "We've gotta defend Vale until the Atlas military get here!"

As the first of the Grimm appeared from the end of the tunnel, and as they listened to the blaring siren warning everyone that the Grimm had invaded, they could almost picture the Atlas military coming over the horizon only to find the city already destroyed.


	36. I Don't Care If It's A Lie

Ash woke up to the sound of blaring sirens muffled by the wooden door and thick walls of Glynda Goodwitch's room. He sat up and took a look around the near lifeless room, finding everything as per usual except for the tiny speaker that initially hung in the corner of the room, now sitting idly still on the desktop next to the bed; leading him to believe that whoever ripped it from the wall knew that the siren would come to life and wanted to ensure that he wouldn't be able to hear it. It took him a moment to remember what happened when was last awake, but along with it, the throbbing pain he felt that knocked him unconscious returned as well.

He remembered constructing a map of a quarter of the kingdom, specifically the forest and mountains southeast of Vale's borders, as well as his reason for doing so. Team RWBY was in trouble, and by the sound of it, they were unable to stop the train they mentioned. He didn't blame them, after all, how could they? He practically sent the five of them to go up against a legion of White Fang activists. Even if the fifth person was a professor of Beacon and expert Hunter, how in Remnant were they supposed to stop a train?

He also remembered his dream, or perhaps it wasn't so much as a dream as it is yet another forced meditation. He remembered fighting himself or the very least, his equivalent. The shadow fought differently than he did, though there were still elements of his own fighting mixed in with however it fought. The bracer was still the main form of defense, deflecting and blocking attacks. However, the way it attacked him was something he could barely read. The attacks were more predictable than his current fighting style, but the way it combined both unarmed and sword attacks as if it were dancing ensured that Ash would spend more stamina dodging and blocking than it would attacking. He wanted to try them, imitate them and learn something from them, but with his current refusal to wield any of the gear needed, it was nothing more than a pipe dream.

He got up from the bed and fought against the throbbing pain, merely listening to the siren that almost seemed to scream his name, calling him to action. A note taped to the door stared at him in the face as he put his hand on the handle, judging from the neat and official looking handwriting alone, it was easy to tell that the note came from Glynda.

 _Ash, if our efforts to keep the alarm from waking you ended up failing, then I want you to stay in this room anyway. You're psychological state is currently unstable. You're in no shape to be fighting. You'll only be putting those around in danger. So for the sake of Vale and those around you, stay in this room._

"That isn't what being a Hunter is about," Ash said, smiling as he ripped the note from the door. The siren became louder when he opened the door, which he should've found annoying and unneeded, but it instead proved to clear his thoughts and rid him of the throbbing pain that once plagued him. Now he was only filled with excitement. "I may not be able to fight the creatures of Grimm confidently as of yet, but I still have promises that I must uphold. I do not plan on dying today."

As he ran around the halls of the academy, empty and silent from the complete lack of life, he sent a silent apology to Glynda, Lava, Weiss… everyone, for seemingly going against them at every turn possible. Soon he found himself in front of his old dorm room once more. When he opened it, he laughed at himself for thinking that something would change, but nothing did, not even the strange feeling of the lonely room. He made his way to the bedside table and smiled at the nostalgic sight of the set of keys that he'd always placed there ever since the day before he had fallen ill, before Weiss had forced him to confess his infatuation with her; two keys on a single key ring, one for the room, and the other for the slightly elongated automobile just sitting at Beacon's main avenue.

He grabbed the set and stared at it for a moment, though his mind was elsewhere. In the drawer to his right, a few feet away, he knew held the pair of metal gloves he used to fight with. It was his first weapon without it actually being a weapon. With Aura in play, the supposed added bonus damage that the metal would've helped deal is completely mitigated, only serving him as nothing more than near insignificant armor. He could lose the Atlas sword and the bracer, and yet even after fighting two members of Team JNPR and even Glynda, he found the feeling of fighting without gloves, with or without metal, a foreign feeling. Though, even with that said, he still felt that he had no right to put them back on, but that didn't stop him from walking over and opening the drawer.

Amongst the neatly folded casual shirts that he once owned, was the pair of black gloves with metal on the back on top of a white shirt, further emphasizing its unusual presence in the drawer. His hand reached out for it, but stopped mere inches from the pair. His eyes panned to his extended and scarred hand. Whether it's in everyday life or in a fight, he'd always hid his hands with gloves, it made him feel a bit more normal and it prevented him from remembering how he got them. Though the feeling initially started as an order from Jacques Schnee, to prevent his children from getting too curious about the boy, hoping that it would be enough to prevent them from ever finding out the boy was a Faunus.

"And would you mind telling me just what is it you're planning to do?" the voice of Ozpin echoed in the room. Ash turned and found the old professor at the doorway, leaning with his back against one side while keeping his cane in his right hand, planted on the ground as if it actually helped in keeping him steady. Ash closed the drawer, leaving the metal gloves behind, and pocketed the keys. "You'll only be getting in their way, you know? You can't fight against groups of Grimm, much less in your condition. You need to stay here and rest. That's the best way you can help them right now."

"You say that as if that actually matters to me," Ash replied nearly laughing as he made his to the headmaster. He stopped a foot away from him, smiling, fully knowing that the older man could easily tell what his intent was. Ozpin raised his cane slightly and planted the end at the opposite side of the doorframe, ensuring that Ash would have to literally get past him. "Let me through Ozpin. You and I both know that you cannot stop me without allowing a portion of your academy to be destroyed, nor are you actually here to stop me."

At his words, Ozpin removed his cane from his way and even stepped out to the hall. Ash stepped out to the hall with him, but turned towards the exit immediately, not even giving the headmaster a passing glance. He kept rubbing his thumb over the limo's key, thinking about what to say when the inevitability of meeting Team RWBY again occurs.

"Glynda's going to be angry when she returns and finds out that you're not here," Ozpin called out behind him, stopping Ash in his tracks. The headmaster had a point. Once more, he had a chance to deter Ash of doing something ridiculous, and once more he failed. But this time, it wasn't a failure. Instead he hadn't even tried to deter the boy. "She'd barely accepted your decision to go to Menagerie, how do you think she'll react when she finds out you went out to fight in your condition?"

"You say that as if I'll be here to suffer it," Ash replied, as he continued to walk to the exit. He waited for a moment to see if the professor would say something, but when he remained silent, Ash began to run. He ran without the aid of his semblance, rounding corners as tightly as he could. Soon, he was outside, sprinting as fast as he could with the city of Vale in the corner of his eye.

Once he got to the limo, in his rush, he nearly ripped the door from its hinges as he entered. Within a moment, the engine roared to life and the limo screeched out of Beacon's main avenue, barreling straight towards Vale with a smile on its driver's face.

* * *

The defense of Vale was very slow going. Minutes were hours and every swing of their weapon only proved to tire the Hunters and Huntresses in training. The Grimm continued to pour out of the once hidden tunnel that connected Vale to Mountain Glenn, and due to the negative emotions coming from the terrified civilians and lowering morale of the Hunters and Huntresses, there was never a lack of Nevermores, both old and young, in the sky. They did all they could to lessen the amount of property damage, but there were some occasions when it absolutely couldn't be helped. The main cause of the damage to buildings have been due to the Giant Nevermores falling from the sky, either cut in half by the barrage of bullets coming from students like Coco Adel, or fell as a whole when they were killed by Lava as she flew by them, clipping their wings or cutting their jugular

Those who were fighting against Grimm on the ground have been forced to retreat from fights several times due to unfavorable circumstances. Deathstalkers and King Taijitus became their least favorite opponent, being able to attack from different directions alone and having to take precedent against all others when it came to groups. Even when they managed to fell one, another came out of the tunnel. A mere hour after the tunnel had been opened, and many of the students were already exhausted from the constant fighting, always placed in another skirmish once they've finished the current without being given even a single moment to catch their lost breath. Even Team RWBY wasn't spared from such misfortune.

The four girls found themselves surrounded by droves of Grimm next to Team JNPR and the unusually enthused corgi in the middle of the plaza. Beowolves, Ursai, Creeps, and two Deathstalkers made up the opposing group, all simply snarling at them as if they were waiting for a signal for them to attack. Behind the Grimm, the teams could see several teams, such as Team SSSN, LAVA, and CFVY, trying their best to make their way to them, but to no avail as more Grimm blocked their path.

A single screech from one of the Deathstalkers became the signal they'd been waiting for. As the loud screech pierced the sky, a dozen Beowolves pounced at the teams, roaring at them as they flew in the air. Everyone with the exception of Jaune and Zwei prepared their firearms and took aim at a single Beowolf. Seven of the Beowolves were immediately taken out of the air by a single projectile, but the rest were allowed to continue. Jaune stepped in front of Ruby and blocked one that aiming for her, allowing the reaper to extend her scythe and place the blade behind the Beowolf's nape. She took aim at another Beowolf that had yet to attack and pulled the trigger, allowing the recoil of the shot to push the weapon back, crushing and cutting the first Beowolf's neck before being stopped by Jaune's shield.

Blake created a clone of herself as soon as a Beowolf got to her with the intent of impaling her with its claws and teeth, keeping it as its usual spectral form before it solidified into ice as the clawed hand went through the head. With its arm now stuck in the ice sculpture, it was left defenseless and stunned as Yang came by and delivered a powerful hook to its temple, firing off a blast from her weapon as it made contact with flesh. Behind the blonde, Blake appeared in time to shoot down another Beowolf aiming for her partner. They gave each a nod of gratitude before jumping in opposite directions, attacking the Grimm before they have the chance to attack and overwhelm them.

Nora moved in between Ren and an oncoming Beowolf with Magnhild already in the form of a hammer and brought the head crashing against the Grimm, forcing it to the side along with its brethren. Without a second thought, she morphed the weapon into a grenade launcher and shot a grenade towards the Grimm tangled together by their limbs, blowing the group apart. As she smiled at her accomplishment, Ren grabbed her by the shoulder and vaulted over her, kicking a Beowolf in mid pounce behind the girl before unleashing a barrage of bullets at it, eventually piercing the flesh, catching the few behind it. Even in the middle of battle, Nora found the time to hug her childhood friend in glee once he landed.

Weiss and Pyrrha looked at each other and nodded. Weiss stabbed Myrtenaster into the ground while Pyrrha leaped in front of her, shield and javelin raised, ready to defend the heiress against anything that moved in to attack her. A large glyph with the icon of a snowflake in the middle appeared underneath all of them, very nearly covering every nook and cranny of the plaza grounds. Two Ursai, seemingly enraged by the glowing glyph, decided to stop whatever she was doing, only for Pyrrha to get in their way. Throwing Akoúo at one of the Ursai's open, roaring mouths, she was successful in momentarily stopping one of them before using her semblance to rip the shield from its mouth, tearing and breaking its cheek along with its fangs, as the shield's edge slammed against the other Ursa.

The air around them turned ice cold, turning their breaths into steam as it left their lips; even the ground and the grass developed a light coating of frost. The glyph glowed brighter before large icicles began to rise from the ground at an alarming rate, seemingly avoiding the Hunters and Huntresses, while mercilessly impaling the Grimm. Try as they might, the Deathstalkers' larger bodies proved to be their downfall in the situation. Icicles grew directly underneath them, puncturing their soft underbellies and encasing them in ice, unable to even voice out their pain. Weiss released her weapon from the ground and the glyph disappeared almost immediately, leaving behind dissolving carcasses on icicles and a chill in the air.

Once more, the heiress checked her weapon and released two empty vials from the cylinder, before loading in more Ice Dust. A platoon of Grimm lie dead at their feet, and yet more still continued to pour out of the tunnel. Around them, they could see their fellow students either fighting for their lives or scrambling away from Deathstalkers, Nevermore projectiles, and King Taijitus. An hour in their small war, and it remained a back and forth battle with the Grimm very slowly gaining the advantage. They all knew that the only way to get back any momentum they once had and even give them the win was to close the tunnel. Though with the train cars keeping the hole open, they would first have to move it out the way, but with the Grimm constantly coming through it, it was an impossible task.

"Pyrrha, can you push the train cars back into the tunnel?" Jaune asked as he reunited with his partner, standing back to back with their shields raised, ready to defend. Pyrrha glanced to the side at the tunnel, looking it over once before returning her gaze to the front. She placed Miló on her back and tapped her partner's shoulder. She got on her knees and stretched out her hand towards the wreckage, focusing her semblance to move the cars, only moving it a few inches.

"It's not budging," she reported, as she tried again, trying to focus even harder than before. Once more, the train was surrounded in a purple coat as it struggled to rise against the rubble and push against other cars, but once more to no avail. "There's too much weight on it. We'll need to move the rubble on top before we can even think about moving it."

"That's the same as asking to move a building," Weiss commented, as she dug the tip of her blade into the neck of a downed Creep. Anyone could tell at this point, the heiress was beginning to tire. Her breathing was irregular, and she was starting to sweat. "Even if we have the time to move it piece by piece, we don't have anyone to move them. Anyone who tries will inevitably get crushed. We just might have to wait patiently until the military comes… whenever that is."

Weiss willed her legs to move, running towards her partner currently cornered along with her sister by a pack of Ursai. She created a glyph below her, lifting her off the ground by mere inches then thrust her rapier forward. Two more glyphs appeared at the tip of Myrtenaster, one the color of Gravity Dust, and the other ice. The Gravity Dust pulled her forward, pushing past everything to get to her friends. Every Grimm she passed was encased in cubes of ice from the chest down, leaving them roaring and screeching at the three of them as they uselessly struggled against the thick ice.

Ruby activated her semblance, leaving behind a flutter of petals next to her sister and partner, decapitating the frozen Grimm as she zipped past them. A little bit of hope returned to Vale's defenders as they were finally given a short time to rest as well as look around to view their surroundings. Lava landed next to them, with her newly repaired sword gripped tightly in her right hand, while the sheath seemed to have been lost long ago as it was no longer hanging at her hip. Unlike the others, she didn't seem to be as exhausted; barely breathing any harder than if she went on a short jog.

"Are you guys ok?" she asked, looking around at the slowly dissipating corpses of the half frozen Grimm. She let out an exhausted sigh at the sight, her wings fluttering open and close as if it was directly connected to her lungs. She drove her sword tip into the ground and began to draw boxes on the ground in similar placement of the nearby buildings from a top down view. "There's too many Grimm and we're too spread out to do anything about it. Blake is north of here with the monkey Faunus that keeps trying to talk to her and the blue haired flirt that hangs around him. Team JNPR moved east of here. They have other teams with them, but the others are getting too scared. My team is west of here. If we can gather everyone here, then we might be able to stand a chance."

"I'll go north and see if I can help Blake and Team SSSN," Yang declared before breaking out in a frantic sprint towards the direction directed, very quickly disappearing behind buildings. Any footsteps she may have been audibly making was quickly drowned out by the sounds of fighting.

"It looks like Team JNPR is pretty far out there. I can go there the fastest. I'll meet you guys back here as soon as we can," Ruby announced, looking over the hastily drawn map as best she can. The distance between the teams were very uneven, if one of them were too early then, they'd have to hold out in the plaza where the Grimm's presence was the thickest. Before she took of towards their sister team, Ruby turned to Weiss with a worried expression. "Be careful. Wouldn't want Ash seeing you weak again, right?"

Before the heiress could respond, Ruby took off towards Team JNPR, already disappearing behind a building. Even though the cloaked leader was gone, Weiss still felt the need to reply to her accusation, but once more, before she could, Lava grabbed her by the waist and took off into the sky, turning into the direction of her team. At first, Weiss was terrified of the rapid rise and sudden turn, but once the dragon had steadied her wings, Weiss became much more calm, enabling her to survey the city from the sky.

It almost seemed like the city was already on its knees, just waiting to die. Grimm ran almost unchecked throughout the entire city, except for the small number of students fighting skirmishes here and there. Soon, the remaining members of Team LAVA came to view, in front of Junior's Club alongside the owner's guards. Aiden was in front, swinging his giant weapon at whatever Grimm brave enough to try and move him back even a single inch, though useless as they were mercilessly swatted aside if they weren't cut in half by the giant blade.

Aaron was everywhere else, bouncing off between Grimm slashing, stabbing, or filling them with bullet holes. When he caught sight of the dragon and the heiress, he focused his semblance, glowing a light green as the air gathered two yards ahead of him, dragging any Grimm along with it, as well as trapping them, struggle as they might. Once more, he activated his semblance, gathering wind to his side before letting it explode, pushing him towards the entrance if the club where Valora was waiting for him to get clear, aiming her crossbows at the Grimm trapped by forceful wind.

Instead of the usual steel tipped bolts, one crossbow was loaded with a yellow tipped bolt while the other was loaded with one that had a red tip. Once Aaron was next to her, she let the yellow tipped bolt loose first, striking a Beowolf in the chest, injecting it with the Lightning Dust within the tip. The lightning spread to the other Grimm, burning their fur and skin. The red tipped bolt was let loose next, striking the same Beowolf in the chest. Aaron deactivated his semblance, releasing the Grimm from his trap, before they all blow away when the red tipped bolt exploded in a blazing ball of fire.

As the Grimm's bodies, hit the walls, crushing their bones and puncturing their organs, the others began to run away from the group. Lava landed next to her partner and released Weiss from her grasp once not even the last of the Beowolves' tails could be seen. Junior's henchmen backed away from the dragon in slight fear, but went ignored by the students. From behind the red and black clad guards, Junior came out of the club, his usual unamused expression on his face.

"Weiss Schnee, as thanks for saving my club – which is what you're job is supposed to be anyway – I'll tell you something you might find interesting," the large man said with a gruff tone of voice. Lava became curious immediately, mainly how the heiress and the owner of the shady club they found themselves in front of now were acquainted. However, before she could ask and before Junior could continue, Weiss spoke up.

"I already know where he is, so whatever you're going to say, it's useless to me," she immediately dismissed, looking around, more interested in their dark surroundings and already decrepit and mossy building walls. Though Weiss couldn't see them, Team LAVA looked at each other, quickly realizing what the two were talking about and wondering how she found out. "He's at Beacon right now. According to Pyrrha, he's injured. Not sure how, not sure why, but I know he's there. So if you're going to show your gratitude, I'd say you owe me a favor."

"What? You can't just—"

"Oh can't I? Or would you prefer owing _all_ of us a favor?" Weiss glared at the club owner, daring him to argue with her. Considering recent events, she had no patience with someone trying to swindle her, especially when it came to the person in question. Team LAVA understood what she was trying to do and acted interested in the favor from the older man. "They appear to be interested. So, what'll it be?"

"Fine! You, alone," Junior finally relented, frustrated as he was played yet again by someone who is far younger and less experienced than him. He marched back into the club along with his henchmen, with what the students could imagine as steam coming out of his ears and the top of his head.

"Alright guys, we have to go back to the plaza," Lava told her team once they were finally alone. They looked at her incredulously before looking at each other. Behind them, in the direction of the plaza, the constant battle against the Grimm could be heard in a mixture of roars, screeches, and human and Faunus screams of pain and fear. "We're too spread apart. The rest of Team RWBY is trying to gather everyone in the plaza right now. It's our best bet of surviving this thing and ending it as soon as possible."

"In what way, Lava?!" Aaron screamed, stunning his partner for a brief moment. There was anger and frustration burning in his eyes. He angrily placed his daggers at the leather sheaths at either side of his hips. He motioned at the direction of the plaza as his Faunus ears twitching as he listened to the screams. "The plaza is where the Grimm are coming from. We're going to die if we go back there. We can't even say for sure that we'll be able to keep the Grimm's attention on us. It's better if we split them up and just kill them when their numbers are thin. Divide and conquer right?"

"The Atlas military will be here soon," the dragon tried to argue, but the uncertainty in her voice was obvious to them all. Aaron glared at his partner for her desperate attempt at lying, and even Valora and Aiden were disappointed in the attempt. Lava turned to Weiss in hopes that she could at the very least help her explain. "Weiss, do you have any idea when the military's going to get here?"

"Civilian transportation take roughly two hours to get here from Atlas, but the military is supposed to be twice as fast. They should've been here a while ago," Lava's hope died with the revelation, forcing her to recognize the screams of her fellow students in the distance. Weiss looked up and found a large murder of Nevermores flying over the city, almost seemingly unchecked except for the bullets and Dust being shot at them, but that was sure to run out very soon. "There's a possibility that they're being delayed by more Nevermores. Either way, it's our job to defend the city. It'll be easier to support each other if we're all at the same spot."

A howl of a Beowolf along with some crashes echoed throughout the shady neighborhood and all five turned to the direction of the sound. A pack of Beowolves rounded the corner in full sprint towards them, attracted to the large amount of negativity in the area, a theory quickly discarded as a rather beat up Paladin with countless holes and frayed wires on the external armor rounded the same corner. One of its arms was dangling uselessly at its side, while the other swung back and forth as it chased down the Grimm.

"Hey! That's an Atlas Paladin! They're here!" Aaron said excitedly, focusing his semblance at a central point in front of the fleeing Beowolves, and once they were nearby it, the air gathered at the point, dragging the Beowolves along with it, disabling their movement. The Paladin caught up and, without a need for a second thought, slammed its left fist down on the congregation of Grimm, crushing them, bones and all.

"Unfortunately, while you are right, that is Atlas made, the military isn't here yet. Doctor! Over here!" Weiss raised her arms and waved them, hoping to attract the professor's eye despite the Paladin's limited view. It stopped for a moment before walking up to the five of them. "How'd you get past all the Grimm?"

"This armor is useful for such things, Miss Schnee," he replied through the Paladin's speakers, though it seemed like the armor's speakers had also been damaged in the skirmish it was in as his voice came out in varying volumes and clarity. Through the cracks in the armor, they could just make out the older man's clothes, forcing them to wonder exactly how much more damage such a Paladin could take. "I saw Miss Rose and Team JNPR at the plaza and they sent me to come fetch you all."

"Fetch us? Professor, there's no way we can hold the middle. We'll just be overwhelmed if we stay there," Aaron argued, albeit a bit estranged to the fact that he was arguing with something, much, much bigger than him. Behind the Paladin, the sounds of panic and pain had died down, only what seemed to be the students' final stand. "Unless we can find a way to plug up that hole, our best bet is to spread the Grimm out. Fight them where we have the advantage."

"I heard you were quite brazen in your initiation. Why the sudden change in attitude?" Oobleck challenged, though his voice was distorted, the threat of the challenge still made it to its intended target. Aaron faltered slightly, and was about to argue again but the longer they took, the more danger the city was as well as the others. "If the city is to see another day, and we have a hope of surviving this, then we all must stand together. Peter Port and Glynda Goodwitch are holding the east and north quadrants of the city and are making their way to the center. We can win Mister Shader but only if we go to the plaza now."

"All right fine," the wolf relented, jumping on top of the damaged Paladin, simply sitting there with his legs crossed as if it was his rightfully owned mount. The rest of them simply stared at him. "Well come on. Everyone on board the uncomfortable Paladin."

Without so much as another word, everyone but Lava climbed on the Paladin and in a moment's notice, they were headed back to the plaza. Lava was flying above them, slowing down to match their speed and warn them of anything given her elevated position, while taking some time to drift off and take down another Nevermore that got too close.

As they got closer, they could the fighting more and more: gun shots, explosions, buildings breaking, glass shattering, and the death of countless Grimm. Lava was the first to see it. The students were all gathered at one side of the plaza, opposite of the tunnel. Some were unleashing every single bullet they had at the Grimm that constantly poured out of the hole, knowing that due to the small entrance, they would hit something; while the rest were fighting against the Grimm that managed to escape the barrage of bullets and Dust, cutting down what they can and trying their best to not get pushed into the middle where they would surely be critically injured.

And though it might seem dire, with the Hunters and Huntresses looking as if they were slowly being pushed back, but the Grimm were focused solely on them, not even turning their heads anywhere else. Their plan to contain the Grimm within the plaza was working, and now, it was a desperate struggle to stay alive, a sort of cage match. They had reinforcements coming soon in the form of two of Beacon's professors in addition to the professor in the Paladin they had now. And even if Weiss were right with Nevermores stalling the Atlas military, they'd be able to hold out, as long as the military does show up as promised.

The moment the Paladin breached the perimeter of the plaza, the students on it jumped off to help their friends and peers while the Paladin itself kept going and slammed its shoulder against the body of a King Taijitu while stepping on a Deathstalker. It stunned the Grimm for a brief moment, but quickly recovered from it, both turning to attack the Paladin. Before they could though, the back of the Paladin flew open and Oobleck jumped out of it with his thermos extended, swatting aside a Beowolf that decided to come after him. The King Taijitu slammed its white head at the armor while the Deathstalker struck its battered body with its tail. Oobleck decided to launch an attack on the Paladin as well, turning in the air so he could so. He swung his thermos at it, launching four fireballs at it, adding an explosive finish to the Atlas creation. The pieces of the Paladin struck and embedded themselves in the bodies of the King Taijitu and Deathstalker, both screeching in pain.

The professor joined his students at the side, allowing them to retreat for the moment to catch their breath and reload their weapons. In the middle, Weiss joined the rest of her team as they grabbed the last of the ammunition that Jaune brought them with his backpack. Once more, they were running low on ammunition, which wouldn't usually be a problem but, their situation requires as many bullets that all of them could possibly carry to help limit the amount of Grimm that they'd have to face at a time, and with a lot already wounded and the others suffering exhaustion, it was a plan they couldn't part with. Weiss was the first to break away from the middle, rushing to the side that didn't have a professor helping hold off the Grimm.

The first Grimm she came across was a couple of Ursai that were rushing their firing squad at their blind side. She stabbed her weapon into the ground and ice began to appear on the ground, going forward like a splitting ground towards the Ursai. Before the Ursai could get half way to the firing squad, they were stopped by a large wall of ice, unable to stop and admire it as several students attacked both from the side and quickly killed them. Weiss smiled at their achievement to protect each other, but in her moment of victory, an Ursa ran towards and swung at her with its heavy paw. She heard Ruby call her name, but fruitless as it connected with her side, pushing her towards the tunnel where a Deathstalker was already towering over her.

She turned to it and saw it raise its tail and bring it down at her. She closed her eyes and waited for the incoming blow, listening to her teammates scream her name in panic and, strangely, the slight hum of an engine and tires screeching on the ground come closer and closer. She opened her eyes quickly, turning to the direction of the misplaced sound and found the hood of a black automobile come rushing towards her. It reminded her of her sixth birthday, and the semi that tried to run her over, but much like it then, she was spared. As it went past her, she recognized the short, black limo, and caught a quick glance at the driver.

The limo slammed against the side of the Deathstalker that dared to attack the heiress. The Grimm was pushed back towards the tunnel, as the limo continued to transfer its momentum to it. The driver's door opened suddenly, and Ash jumped out of it, planting his left hand and both feet on the ground, allowing the friction to drain his momentum, before pushing off the ground, headed straight to the heiress. Before anyone could say anything, Ash scooped up the heiress on the ground and ran as fast as he could to the congregation of students. The limo continued and slammed the Deathstalker against the fallen train car that kept the tunnel open. Unable to even slow the limo's speed, the Deathstalker was pinned to the train car by the base of its tail, while the damage of the collision crushed the inner workings of the limo. Fuel was very quickly leaving through the bottom, coating the Deathstalker and the ground with it.

"Ash!? What are you doing here?" Weiss asked as they joined the other three members of Team RWBY. The dragon allowed her to get her feet on the ground before he let his arms retract back to his side. "Pyrrha said you were injured, so why are you here?"

"Someone ignite the fuel! Blow them all up!" he screamed at the other students, momentarily ignoring the heiress. Ruby morphed Crescent Rose into a rifle and took aim at the limo. A single shot from the weapon rang out throughout the city, and the fuel was quickly set ablaze. The fire raced up back to the limo, and in a moment, the vehicle exploded in a large fire, killing anything that was close to it with the heat and shrapnel, while knocking others down. "Thank you Miss Rose. I'll explain my being here at a later date, Miss Schnee. For now, we must focus on defending Vale."

Before any of the four girls could grace his reply with one of theirs or their questions, Ash turned to the side where the amount of Grimm was the thickest and ran towards it to help as best he could. The members of Team RWBY looked at each other before turning back to the wingless dragon, simply watching him for a moment.

"I know he saved Weiss and came to help us, but damn, I'm gonna miss that limo," Yang said jokingly, blasting a Beowolf with a single shot of Ember Celica in its memory. She turned back to the dragon, as he implemented hit and run tactics, heading in closer to the tunnel than everyone else, and striking any isolated Grimm that he finds his way, attracting its attention as well as everything around it, before running close to the middle and ducking past them, back to the side, simply allowing the bullets of others get the kill. "Well, he's gotten better at dodging I'll give him that, but he'll only last so long like that."

"Let's go!" Ruby declared, as the four of them ran to rejoin Ash.

As he baited another group of Grimm towards the middle, he found himself once more by Team RWBY's side. Without a word, they began to fight nearby, dispatching of any Grimm they knew they could eliminate alone. With a sigh, he rejoined the skirmish, not wanting to be outdone by any of them, despite his clear disadvantage. He caught sigh of a familiar awkward blonde providing support on the other side, facing down an Ursa Major alone. Jaune took several steps back when the Ursa roared a challenge at him.

"Mister Arc! Fight!" the dragon yelled as loud as he can. Jaune turned to the sound of his voice, and wondered what the dragon was doing fighting with them, before turning back to the Ursa as it roared at him again.

Jaune steeled himself and accepted the Ursa's challenge, raising his shield, ready for a fight. Like what he would do before his training with Pyrrha, he rushed the Ursa and brought his sword down at whatever part of the Ursa his blade could catch. It sliced its right leg, and he prepared himself for the next maneuver. He forced his shield up, surprised that the Ursa was actually in the process of bringing its heavy paw down at him. Focusing his strength on his shield arm and his legs, Jaune pushed the paw away, giving him the time for one attack. He saw the opportunity and sliced at the Ursa's head, feeling the pressure of its flesh and bone before the blade was freed on the other side, with the Ursa's head falling at the opposite side. At his victory, Jaune looked back at the dragon but found him already in a fight of his own. Knowing that he'd be able to deal with it himself, Jaune refocused on the skirmish.

Ash dodged and dodged, as it was the only thing he could do without sacrificing his defense for an already small chance to retaliate. A group of ten Grimm, consisting of Beowolves and Ursai were his opponents, a number that he'd never even properly defended against. The people around him were preoccupied with fights of their own, and calling for help would only endanger them and break the formation they spent so long trying to maintain. But dodging is only ever a temporary solution. While he was preoccupied with three Beowolves at his front, an Ursa snuck behind him and drove its claws into his back. The dragon screamed in pain and turned around, driving a tightly closed fist to the temple of the Ursa, activating his semblance for the brief second of impact. The Ursa's head twisted to the side, earning the dragon the sick sound of its neck breaking. Unfortunately, with his back turned to the Beowolves, they were free to attack his back. Three sets of claws scraped across his back.

"Ash!" he heard Weiss yell in panic. At the sound of her voice, he focused his strength into his legs and pushed back against the claws. Extending his arms to his side and drove his elbows to the chins of the two at his sides while driving his head back at the one directly behind him, activating his semblance as he struck the Beowolves, keeping it active until the four of them slammed against the ground, killing the Grimm with the force while only slightly disorientating Ash. Soon, he found Weiss next to him, extending her hand to him, he took it and she pulled him up. "Are you all right? You shouldn't even be here."

"I'm sorry for disobeying you, Miss Schnee, but I—" he tried to defend himself, but Weiss wouldn't allow him. She forced a hand to his right cheek and grabbed him by the arm before dragging him away from the fight, behind some buildings.

"Do you really think that's what I care about at this moment?" she asked accusingly, glaring at the boy as fiercely as she could. As far as she knew, Lava has yet to find out that her brother had joined their fight without even a wooden weapon to help him fight. If she were to find out, then all of Remnant would more than likely explode with her rage, and even more so when Glynda Goodwitch finds him. "You're not capable of fighting Grimm yet. That's why I'm angry. Go back to Beacon, you'll only be getting in our way here."

"You heard me while you were asleep, didn't you?" he asked, with a slightly worried and despondent expression. Weiss recoiled slightly surprised that what she heard the winged Ash say in her dreams was actually something he said, instead of just a part of her dream. The small response was enough for him. "It may be earlier than either of us ever intended, but right now is still the 'next time.' Let me prove myself to you now. Please Miss Schnee, I beg you."

Ash got down on one knee with his eyes closed and head down, and no matter how much Weiss tried to get him back up, she remained unsuccessful as he seemed to be rooted to the ground. Frustrated at his stubborn attitude, Weiss closed her left hand into a tight fist and brought it down on the back of the dragon's head, but even then wasn't graced with even so much as hum in reply. If he wanted to die, then she'd rather be the one to do it herself. Her heart ached at the thought, but it was one that was backed by her resolve.

"I want you to live, Ash. Please, just go. It doesn't have to be Beacon. You can just leave the city. Trust us to protect it. It's our job," Weiss tried to reason with him once again and unlike her other attempts, this one made the dragon stand to face her, but his expression was anything but convinced. His expression was the amalgamation of blank and disappointed, but it told her enough to know that he was determined to stay. "The Atlas military will be here soon. Winter now knows that you're no longer my butler and she knows that you're a Faunus – she's known for a while now. She wants you to work for her as an—"

"I have no intention of working for another Schnee but you," he disclosed as he pulled her into a hug. He felt her struggle against him, but he wouldn't allow her to break free. She continued to struggle listening to the others fight for their lives while they spoke. "I want to live as well, Miss Schnee. I want nothing more than to stay by your side, or at least where I'm able to see that you're safe, even if you hold nothing than spite towards me."

"Then, please Ash, go. If you go now, then I'll rescind my last orders to you," Weiss stopped struggling and returned the embrace softly, feeling his heart beat faster, as it seemed that her heart was as well. It's for that reason that she found it strange when he began to shake, as if he was cold, as if he was afraid. "Ash? You're shaking."

"I love you, Weiss," he confessed, as he continued to shake and his heart beat even faster. Weiss's body felt warmer against his as her blood rushing to her cheeks caused them to turn red, but along with it, came a dreadful sensation in her heart. Ash's voice was full of fear, so much so that she was sure the Grimm could sense it. "I love you so much that what I'm about to ask you causes me more pain and fear than you would ever know."

"Ash what are you—" she began, but was quickly cut off by the dragon.

"As of what the situation is right now, Vale will fall before the military arrives, and along with it, us," Weiss could now feel his tears fall against her cheek as he shook even harder than before. As if it was contagious, fear began to rise within her as well. It wasn't the hopelessness of possibly dying that she and her team felt in the tunnel, this was pure fear. A fear that screamed it wouldn't be her perishing, but someone else: the dragon in her arms. "I want you to attack me, drain my Aura completely. Without Aura, my semblance will attract the attention of every Grimm in the plaza and lead them back into the tunnel, leaving the rest of you to deal with whatever Grimm left roaming the streets."

"You want me to kill you, condemn you to acting as a martyr so the rest of us live?" she was angry, and her voice carried it along with her displeasure. Her eyes burned and very soon she no longer knew whose tears streamed down her cheeks. A hand squeezed her heart and she was willing to bet that the specter's other hand was squeezing Ash's. "Even if I hated you, even if you deserved it, there's no possible way I could. If you want to play the part of the martyr then I'm coming with you. If I can help it, then I'll die along with you."

"Please, Weiss. I beg of you. Don't cause me to falter," Ash hugged the heiress tighter, as if he didn't want to let her go. For a moment, it took away her ability to breath, but it wasn't the dragon's grip on her that caused it, but the part of her that already agreed to his plan, knowing that she couldn't stop him. She tried to speak, but once more, he interrupted her. "It has to be you to drain my Aura, I trust you the most. If you don't want to, then I'll continue to fight against the Grimm with you all, but you know we'll suffer more casualties that way."

After what felt like hours to them, Weiss pushed Ash away so they could face each other. She had a resolute expression on her face, coming to a decision. He was right. The Atlas military should've been there already. Even if they were temporarily halted by flying Grimm, the warships should've been equipped with enough artillery to level an entire mountain if not two. He took a step back and let out a deep sigh in relief, smiling at her even as she readied her rapier, ready to even take his life.

"Ash, are you sure there isn't anything else we can do?" she asked, shaking slightly as she prepared herself for making one of her nightmares to come to reality. He thought for a second before he took a step forward and hugged her again. "Is there anything else you want to say?"

"I don't care if it's a lie," he said slowly as his fear slowly dissipated the moment she agreed to his plan. She returned his embrace but pulled her head back enough so that they could look at each other. His eyes were steady, the fear in him earlier either completely hidden or already gone. "Please, just this once, tell me that you love me too."


	37. You've Already Lost

Weiss towered over Ash as he was knelt down on both knees just in front of her. Myrtenaster was gripped very tightly by her left hand and only continued to become tighter as time went on if it were even possible. She raised the weapon above her head and brought it down on the dragon once more, though her constant and strengthening hesitation caused the blade to go off its straight path and curved at the last moment, cutting Ash's right arm very shallowly, barely draining a percentage of his Aura. Nearby them, they could hear their friends and peers screaming requests, commands, warning, and at times, in pain as they continued to fight against the seemingly endless hordes of Grimm.

Once more, Weiss raised her blade and attacked her friend, but for a moment, her hesitation took over her imagination and showed her an image of Ash, bloody and wounded, as the Grimm slowly ate him alive. She forced her blade to change direction unconsciously, but Ash quickly pushed his body towards the direction of the swing, forcing the blade to cut his chest as an opponent usually would. He held in a grunt of pain, a hand planted solidly on the ground as the pain shot up his spine due to his lack of guard. Weiss immediately dropped her weapon and hurriedly knelt down by him in worry. She took out his scroll from her pocket and pulled out the dragon's Aura level, wanting to scream when it read only 46 percent, 46 percent that she's yet to drain

"Ash, I can't do this," she said, tossing him his scroll, giving him full view of the screen. He picked it up and examined the scroll, as if staring at it longer would lower the percentage shown. With her hesitation, even though she struck him dozens of times, she was only able to drain so much. She'd been fine at first, but as time went on it grew exponentially. "There has to be another option. One where you don't have to commit suicide."

"The option that you speak of is difficult if not impossible to accomplish," he replied, with his gaze directed at the ground, at the scroll, at the buildings, at anything but her, knowing that a single look at her with cause his built up resolve to falter. The constant drumming of the students' firearms became much more tamed as many of them ran out of ammunition. "The only other option is to rejoin the others in battle and hope that the casualties remain at the very minimum. If you're against this idea of mine, then it's not too late to choose the other option."

"At this point, if it means that you don't have to sacrifice yourself, I'll be willing to do anything," she said, completely afraid of the alternate option. Ash handed her his scroll, much to her confusion, but she took it anyway. The two of them stood back up, and simply waited a moment, unable to immediately get rid of the awkward air around them. "Ash, about your request… After all of this is over, I'll give you a proper answer. So you have to live. Am I understood?"

"I understand, Miss Schnee. I will wait," Ash replied, though completely unsure of the promise himself. She could see his inner struggle in his eyes, but there was nothing she can do to reassure him, or herself for that matter. Weiss picked up her weapon and steeled herself once more before she goes back to the ensuing battle. But before she could take a step forward, she was stopped by Ash grabbing her right hand. She looked back and found him staring at the ground, but nevertheless could sense his resolve and fear better than anyone else. "However, know this Miss Schnee. Should I find myself out of Aura while I fight, I will be executing my initial plan. And in that event, I thank you now for everything you've done for me. I will be grateful to you and your family even in the afterlife."

Before she could reply, Ash rushed out from behind the buildings they were hiding behind and rejoined the battle, launching a surprise attack on an Ursa, activating his semblance for the split second his right fist made contact with the Grimm's temple. With the added strength, the large body flew past the middle to the other side, slamming against the body of a Deathstalker in front of Oobleck. Seeing the opportunity given to him, Oobleck immediately blasted the two with a single fireball, not even leaving ashes when the fire disappeared. He looked over to see who gave him such an opportunity, but saw nothing more than a myriad of students fighting for the chance to see tomorrow.

Weiss exited from behind the building soon after, at first looking for the male dragon, but was unable to find him in the middle of the continuing chaos. She could see every single person trying to coordinate with everyone around them to ensure that the day ends with as little casualties as possible. The further back of the front line she could see, the more injured the people are, and the very back, she could see Lava using her semblance on those with fatal injuries. It was a temporary solution; she knew that. The female dragon's Aura could only fuel her semblance for so long, and considering the amount of people already incapacitated from their injuries, it wouldn't be long until their only means of recovering without Aura is no longer available.

Her team, along with Teams JNPR, LAVA, and CFVY made the majority of the front line, fighting in a more conserved way than they usually would, even Jaune himself, who she'd seen normally forgo defense for attack in hopes that his attack will connect first, was now focusing on defense as he bounced between fights, blocking blows meant for others with his shield. Weiss checked her weapon's ammunition and reloaded what vial was needed, though cursed when she reached into her small pouch and found that she no longer had any Ice Dust. Nevertheless, she joined her team in the front lines, pushing Ash's plan and confession out of her mind as much as she could.

She joined the fight by creating several red glyphs in the air behind her team and launching snake-like streams of fire from the center, forcing them all to crash against the bodies of the larger Grimm in front of them. Half of the streams exploded as soon as they made contact with the Grimm bodies, coating them in Dust fire, while the other two streams were swallowed whole by the two heads of a King Taijitu, burning it from the inside mercilessly as it screeched in pain. Ruby, Blake, and Yang stopped and looked back for a moment to see who had helped them, to see Weiss running towards them, before turning back to the fight, happy to have the entire team back together ever since she mysteriously disappeared.

Team JNPR were having problems of their own, dealing with several Alphas and Majors, forcing Jaune to focus on his own defense no matter how much he wanted to defend his team. Nora was the closest to help, but was kept busy by two Majors even if she wanted to. After parrying a heavy paw with the shaft of her weapon, she caught sight of Ash running towards her. He gave her a nod and turned his head slightly to the sky, always keeping her in his sight. She nodded to him as well and jumped back as far as she could, and lowered the hammerhead down close to the ground. When Ash was close enough to her, he leapt, aiming for the hammerhead. With a single swing of her weapon, she launched him as high as the buildings around them, the momentum of Nora's swing, directing him towards her leader.

Jaune was only able to see Nora for a brief second before a shadow seemed to come out of hers and towards him in a hurry. He looked up to see what it was and saw Ash very quickly falling towards him. Figuring he had no use for it in the situation, Jaune threw his sword at the dragon and grabbed his shield with both hands, in time to block an Alpha's clawed hand and push it back, before Ash dropped down on it with Jaune's sword in hand and drove it into the Grimm's shoulder, all the way to the hilt. He quickly twisted the blade and pulled it out before tossing it over to its rightful owner. As soon as he had hold of it, Jaune twisted his body to the left where a Major was already swinging towards him, and slammed his shield against the incoming paw, and parried it before bringing the blade against the Grimm's neck with as much force as he could muster, lopping its head off its body.

Jaune turned to thank the dragon but found him already on his way to assist others who might be in need of assistance, it just so happened to be his sister that looked to be the most in need of it. Creeps and Beowolves surrounded her, with her team preoccupied with fights of their own, and while she kept them all at a distance with her sword and wings, it was all she could do. If she attempted to fly away, the Beowolves would pounce on her before she could get high enough to shake them off without more pouncing on her.

As she faced down the pack of Grimm, she heard a sickening crack and a Beowolf howl in pure pain. She turned and found her brother gripping a Beowolf's arm with a bone on the outside, blood rushing around the bone, dripping down to the ground. With a single kick to its head, Ash completely ripped the wounded arm from the rest of its body, and knocked it on the ground before bringing his foot down on the nape of its neck as hard as he could, crushing the spine. Before any of the other Grimm could attack him, he jumped towards Lava, the two dragons standing back to back not caring that they've trapped themselves in a situation that most likely would lead to death.

"You're not supposed to be here," Lava scolded, though too tired and aware of the situation to be properly angry. She heard him chuckle lightly, as if trying to conceal the fact from her, and while she wanted nothing more than to hit him on the back of his head for laughing, the roaring Grimm around them weren't going to let an opportunity to attack pass them by. "Miss Goodwitch told me that you weren't in the condition to fight, plus I thought you can't fight Grimm."

"Fighting against and winning against are two different things, sister of mine," he said jokingly, switching his glance between as many of the Grimm as possible. A Beowolf decided to be brave and act as the vanguard for the rest as it tried to pounce of Ash, but at the sound of its nearing roar, Lava used her wing to push her brother aside and swing her blade forward to meet the Beowolf, cutting in half. Behind her, another Beowolf decided to pounce as well, only be stopped by Ash throwing a heavy blow to its exposed throat before he grabbed it and slammed in on the ground. "There's plenty in this world that can never be for certain, you know that. I can fight the Grimm, but with everyone around, there's a chance of survival. Moreover, I saw you tending to the wounds of others. Why are you in the front lines?"

"Running low on Aura, unfortunately. With what I have now, I can't heal any major wounds. We all just have to be lucky," she confessed, able to slightly feel her scroll buzzing against her inside her pocket, telling her that her Aura reserves is now in the single digits. She smiled knowing that if Aaron found out about her situation, he'd be scolding her. As they stood back to back, Lava held out her sword for him to take. "Here, you'll need this more than me. I've got my wings, I don't need a sword."

"Your light sword will only hold me back, Livia," he laughed, rushing forward towards a lone Creep. As if he'd challenged it, the Creep leaped as soon as he was close enough, thinking on biting down on the dragon's shoulder and hold him down until he bled out or until others finished him off. Ash slid under it and grabbed its tail before standing up quickly, and slamming it back to the ground. He stepped on its head and pulled its tail, activating his semblance for a brief moment, ripping the Grimm's head off its body. "Besides, I'm much more efficient with hand to hand combat than anything else. Watch your left."

As Lava turned to her left, ready to cut down whatever tried to attack her, she watched in awe as the shattered asphalt around them seemed to come to life and grouped together, before six of them impaled and pierced the Beowolf that came after her. She looked around and saw the rest of the Grimm around them looking at the lance like shrapnel flying around before they as well were impaled. Before Lava could even ask what happened, she felt a strange force fling her back towards the back away from the front line along with her brother. She tried to flap her wings to stop the momentum, but found the force strengthening even more to stop whatever progress she made. The two dragons landed side by side, forced to sit down on the asphalt by the force and were forced to look at a clearly displeased Glynda Goodwitch when they looked up, while Lava's sword bounced across the ground, clattering against a building wall.

The blonde professor had her arms crossed across her chest, with riding crop in her right hand. She glared at the two dragons, mainly at Ash, like a mother deciding the punishment for her two children. Ash and Lava looked around and found most of the students have been pulled back from the front lines and it was now mainly Port and Oobleck giving it their all to hold back the Grimm. Teams RWBY, JNPR, and the rest of Team LAVA were with them, now showing signs of exhaustion. Not just them, every student now looked like they were on the brink of falling over. Those that are still able to fight have been switching off with their peers when needed to conserve and recover as much of their stamina as they could, not knowing how long they have to fight for, but much like all their plans before it, it is only a temporary solution.

"And would you mind telling me exactly what you're doing here, you ridiculous boy? Did you not read the note I left you?" Glynda asked, directing her glare at the male dragon. As if to mock her, Ash only chuckled to himself in response. Glynda's anger very nearly took over, unfolding her arms and raising her riding crop as if to strike the boy, but put it down when her rational side reminded her about their situation and location. "You're not fit to fight even people in your condition. At any point, until you fully recover, if you overwork your mind, if you allow your emotions to go on a rampage, you could end up unconscious in the middle of a skirmish."

"I'm here to help in anyway I can," he replied, as he pushed himself up from the ground, only to be forced back down by Glynda's semblance. Lava tried to get up and, unlike her brother, was allowed to stand, ready to fight once again, but her curiosity in what the professor was going to do and her already low Aura level prevented her from immediately going back to the front lines. "Everyone here has a chance of dying today. My chances may be slightly higher than the others, but it hardly makes a difference. If the military doesn't get here soon, then—"

"They'll be here! General Ironwood has confirmed their deployment, but it'll be for another half hour to an hour," she explained honestly, though began to lower her voice as she continued, not wanting to discourage the students anymore than they already were. Weiss, Ash, and Lava, all looked angry, to the point where their combined anger seemed to manifest into heat. "The higher ups were debating whether or not Vale is worth saving. General Ironwood managed to convince them after a while, but was only allowed a few warships and a handful of soldiers. It has to be enough to help."

"If we're even alive to receive the help," Ash said begrudgingly, his anger seething from the tone of his voice. No one was able to reply immediately, simply allowing Ash's negative statement to sink in or be disregarded and float away. Once more, Ash tried to get back up and this time, Glynda let him. Without saying another word, he made his way to Weiss and got in close to whisper in her ear. "Miss Schnee, is it all right if I hold on to my scroll for a little while? I'll return it to you once I'm done, there simply something that I have to check."

"It's your scroll, I don't understand why you gave it back to me in the first place," she whispered back, earning some glares and stares from those around them. She fished out his scroll from her pocket and handed it to him, to which he bowed slightly as a sign of gratitude. He maneuvered through his scroll like a child playing with a new toy, but a lot more diligently and with intent. "What are you checking that you couldn't already?"

He didn't answer her, he didn't look up at her, he just stared at his scroll as if a solution to their problem is written somewhere on it. She'd only seem him so focused on a fight or when she's heavily involved in something. In a moment, he looked up and smiled at her, once more with slightly wavering fear and resolve in his eyes. Not entirely knowing why, she simply watched him for a moment. He showed her the screen and his Aura level was displayed, reading at 49 percent, slowly recovering.

"If there was a way to buy some time for the military to get here, will they be able to help secure the area, as well as the tunnel?" he asked out loud, earning him the attention of everyone around him: Teams RWBY, JNPR, and LAVA, as well as Glynda. He turned to Glynda in time to see her nod her head once. He smiled victoriously even though his fear was evident. He turned to Weiss again. "Miss Schnee, I assume that you will remain neutral?"

"I will take no part in your plan, Valentine," she said angrily, as she gripped her weapon's handle tightly with her left hand and grinded her teeth against each other in frustration. She could stop him. With a single 'No' she could easily stop him, but she wouldn't. Enough resolve would conquer every adversity; she knew that. She could only hope that he had enough of it. "I won't stop you, but I will not be the one damn you."

"Thank you Miss Schnee," he knelt down on one knee in front of her, confusing the others, while forcing Weiss to look away, not wanting to know whom amongst the people around them would even consider sacrificing someone, and who among them would be the one to do it. "Know that my only regret is that I won't be able to hear your answer."

"Weiss? What is he talking about?" Yang asked, not sure whether to be afraid of the fact that the heiress turned away in an attempt to save herself from being a witness to whatever the male dragon has planned, or be curious as to what this 'answer' is supposed to be for.

"Hey! Can we get some help here?" they all heard Coco's voice ring out from the skirmish get closer. They all turn and found her carrying Velvet's left side with the Faunus' left arm over her leader's neck and shoulder and with her left leg bleeding from the thigh. Lava immediately rushed over and helped Velvet sit down against a building at the back among the other injured before inspecting the wound. "Can you heal her?"

"Unfortunately, with my Aura as low as it is right now, I can't" Lava replied, as she carefully cut a portion of Velvet's pants and leggings so that she could further inspect the wound. Lava cleaned it as much as she could with the portions of the cloth she cut, but more blood replaced it soon after, but nevertheless, sighed in relief. "Don't worry so much about it, though. The Grimm missed her femoral artery. It's not life threatening. Until her Aura comes back and starts to repair the damaged tissue, she won't be able to use this leg. Sorry Bunny Girl, but you're done for the day."

Ash came up to them and knelt down beside his sister, inspecting the wound as well. In a moment, he removed his shirt and began to wipe off as much of the blood as he could, much like his sister did earlier. After a minute of wiping and pressing down on the wound, the shirt was completely stained with blood, but the wound became much more manageable, granting them all sight of the girl's pale thigh, temporarily disfigured by the wound. Ash placed the bloody shirt down on the ground and removed the bandages around his chest, granting the world sight of what remained of his wings before wrapping the used bandages around the Faunus' wound tightly.

Ash, you…" whatever Velvet wanted to say at that moment was lost when she looked around and saw the mixed expression on everyone's faces. Those that she assumed already knew, mainly Teams RWBY and JNPR, were smiling proudly at their friend as if to brag that they knew about it all along and that they were friends with two dragons. Those that didn't, like Coco and everyone else who happened to be nearby looked in shock and now understood why he was able to stand toe to toe against Lava when they fought, but also confusion as to why a Faunus would ever be glad to work for a Schnee, and why a Schnee would ever fully enjoy the company of a Faunus.

As if to entertain his onlookers Ash stood up and flapped his stumps as if it would propel him into the sky, like it did when was a five-year-old child in Atlas. Yang went up to him and clapped him on the shoulder, and smiled at him when he turned to her. It may have been a week late, but here was his answer to her challenge. Ash would've smiled back if his bravery of showing his amputated wings hadn't been false; bravery created by the presence of death. Lava stood up and made her way up to her brother as well and inspected his stumps, reaching out a hand to touch them, but pulled back when she his body stiffen up.

"I need you all to listen. Livia, Glynda, you two especially," he said solemnly as he looked to Weiss once more, but she was looking at the tunnel, seemingly thinking about something about it. He could almost laugh at the fact that he was the only who knew exactly what she was doing: distracting herself in anyway possible so that she doesn't hear him. "My semblance has an anomaly in which it attracts the Grimm if I use while I have no Aura remaining. That is how I was able to pull attention away from you that night, Livia."

"Now, let me ask you something," Glynda began, her voice dripping with deadly venom, enough to unnerve even the Grimm, but Ash only chuckled though rather obvious that it was dark humor than anything else. Lava made her way to her sword and placed it back in its sheath hanging from her hip, looking to Glynda as if to coordinate with her. "Do you honestly think that you'll be able to get past me? This won't be the same as sparring with me. I won't let you leave the ground if you even try."

"You're right of course, I can't get past you," Ash relented, stealing a glance at his scroll for a brief moment, a solemn smile remaining on his face the entire time. Once more, he glanced at Weiss, still unable to face his way, but he didn't mind, he made his peace with her and she promised to remain neutral in the whole ordeal. "But it isn't just my semblance that has this anomaly, my Aura-less state as well. Though the range is significantly smaller, it'll still attract the attention of the Grimm, hence the three Beowolves ignoring Mister Arc before."

"Then we won't let you get your Aura drained," Lava declared, stretching her wings as wide as possible as if to act like a wall separating her brother and the Grimm. Once more, Ash chuckled and checked his scroll briefly. Lava pulled out her sword and brandished it towards her brother, finding him more of a threat the near endless number of Grimm behind her. "What are you laughing at? Do you think that getting past me will be any easier than getting past the professor? With my wings, I'll be faster than you no matter how fast you run."

"Of course, I know I can't get past you as well," he relented once more, checking his scroll for the third time, shaking his head once quickly afterwards. He looked back at Lava, and found her glare a lot more threatening with her wings seemingly making her form a lot bigger than it actually is. He took a quick glance at the others and found them either confused or playing detective, trying to decipher his true intentions. "But even if the Grimm weren't involved, I'm still able to drain my Aura in plenty of ways. If I were to try to fight the Grimm, then you would interfere, and we both know that the only way you'll be able to stop me is through violence. If Glynda were to hold me down with her semblance, then I'll simply use mine and force it to drain my Aura. Face it Livia, this is one fight that you have no hope of winning."

As Lava thought about what he said, trying to find a way to around his words, a flaw, a lie, an exaggeration, anything, Ash made his way to Weiss. The heiress turned to him, wondering what he may have forgotten to tell her, or even if he was simply there to tell her that he's changed his mind, but all he did was smile and hand her back his scroll. She took a close look at the screen and still found his Aura level displayed on it, now reading 50 percent. Ash made his way to his sister and embraced her. Lava's wings began to slowly fold back into its resting state, as the familiar warmth comforted her. He pulled back and took her hand in his, guiding her next to the blonde professor. With one arm, he pulled Glynda into a hug, before pulling back and looking at the two. Both of them were confused, and so were the people around them. Only Weiss knew his resolve, but even she didn't know how he'd get passed his two biggest obstacles.

"Only the two of you stand in my way. The rest won't or can't stop me," he explained, confusing all of them even more, unable to figure out why he seemed so confident that he'd already won. The roars of the Grimm grew louder as even Oobleck and Port were forced to retreat slightly at the numbers of their opponents. "I've already convinced Miss Schnee to go along with my plan, or rather, forced her to remain neutral. She's willing to let me go, leaving only the two of you keeping me anchored here."

"And if you think the two of us will lose to you, then you have another—" Lava tried to continue her argument but was quickly cut off by her brother.

"But you've already lost, Livia. Both of you," he said as he placed a hand on their shoulders. To the two of them, they felt him squeeze the indentation of their respective shoulders before they lost all energy in their entire body. If Ash hadn't been there to catch them, then they may have fallen to the ground face first. He let them down gently, listening to his scroll in Weiss' hand beep uncontrollably. "With the help of the two of you, I am now Aura-less. Thank you, and goodbye."

"What did you do to me?!" Lava screamed, completely enraged as she tried to move any part of her body, to no avail, as she was only able to lift her limbs and wings a single inch. She looked to her side and found Glynda trying to do the same, to reach for her fallen riding crop or even raise her hand enough to use her semblance on Ash. "Why can't I move? You bastard, are you that scared to fight me, huh?"

"I'm scared of dying, dear sister," Ash knelt down and picked up his sister's upper body, hugging her again, feeling her anger as heat and her fear force her heart to beat louder and faster. Though now, his heart was beating at the same if not faster rate, masking that of his sister's. "But I'm scared of allowing my sloth to cost others their lives. You've always told me that Vargas was only brave during the night he died because it was only then that he had others to protect. This is simply my attempt in living up to my namesake."

Ash placed his sister on the ground again, smiling as tears began to pour from Lava's eyes. He stood up and allowed Aaron to take his place next to her, as the two of them shot each other a glare; Ash glared at the wolf as if to tell him to take care of his sister, while Aaron glared at the dragon in clear disapproval of his decision, but was forced to acknowledge that he can't do anything about it. Ash breathed in deep and gathered every single bit of courage, energy, and resolve to run as fast as possible.

"Zwei! Attack!" Weiss' voice echoed throughout the shattered plaza and before Ash could turn to the sound of her voice or even ask whoever Zwei is, he felt small, sharp teeth dig in to the stumps on his back. The sensitivity of the stumps forced all energy to leave his knees and he collapsed to his knees as he reached back to try and remove whatever had grabbed hold of him to no avail. "Don't let go until he's listened to everything I need to say."

All Ash could do was turn to her barely, as whatever was attached to his back continued to drain his energy. Weiss walked to his front, glaring at him as their friends watched her, unsure of what to do: help stop the dragon from sacrificing himself or let Weiss do what she needed before they stopped her from trying to deter the dragon.

"Give me your hands," the heiress commanded as she knelt down. Ash, unable to do anything else, lifted his hands as high as his chest shakily. Weiss collected his hands in her left hand, barely able to do so with his hands being larger than hers. With her right hand, she pulled out the black gloves from her pocket and began to equip it on Ash. "These aren't yours, understand? These are the property of my butler. You have to come back and give them back to me, no matter what. Zwei let him go."

At her words, the feeling of teeth digging in to his stumps quickly fell away with a small thud behind him. Ash fell slightly forward; forcing Weiss to catch him as he caught whatever breath he lost. He held himself up as much as he could with one hand, not wanting to completely rely on Weiss strength to keep him up. The familiar feel of the black gloves around his hand seemed to make his heart beat faster, but at the same time, helped calm him down. Weiss initially held the dragon to help keep him up, but soon embraced him, shaking. Below them, Ash saw a black and white corgi walk up from behind him and whimper next to Weiss, looking worriedly at the girl. Ash reached out to the dog with the hand that helped keep him up and rubbed his head, earning him a happy yelp from the dog.

"There's something else I want to tell you," she continued, replaying his mother's message in her head multiple times. She wanted to ask him what it meant next they met, but with everything going on, it had completely slipped her mind. It was only then, before they sacrificed him, did it return to her. "Your mother left me a message for you. 'Vargas is Vargas and you are you. You can do the one thing that he could not all those years ago.'"

"I promise, I'll definitely return these gloves to you. So please wait for me till then," he said with a smile, as he leaned up slightly and kissed her forehead, despite the many sets of eyes on them. The two of them stood up and Ash shook his legs, testing their mobility and strength, before he ran past the students, jumping over broken planters and other debris. Once he was within the numbers of the Grimm, he activated his semblance. Like he'd planned, the Grimm all stopped attacking the students and professors and turned to follow him. "COME ON YOU MINDLESS MONGRELS! THERE'S A MOUNTAIN FULL OF PEOPLE YOU CAN FEAST ON!"

As he got closer to the tunnel he could see more creatures of Grimm pouring out of it. All of them looked at him with bloodlust and hunger in their eyes and salivating mouths. He increased the drain of his semblance and focused it all on his legs, allowing him to run faster. He braced himself and slightly curled up as he ran through the breach, tackling and pushing away any Grimm that he met along his way. He felt his shoulders, forearms, and head crash against multiple bodies that could've been any kind of Grimm, but he didn't care and ignored all the pain that came with their claws and teeth scraping against his bare skin. He could feel blood dripping and flying off his body as he kept running, but he knew he couldn't collapse, not until he was far enough away to allow the Atlas military to arrive at Vale, or at the very least deter the Grimm from coming back to the city.

"Keep on attacking! Don't let a single one of them enter the tunnel with him!" he heard Weiss order all those he was leaving behind. Gunshots and explosions soon came after it, along with the roar of pain from multiple Grimm. Soon, the sounds of anything human or Faunus-made disappeared, and the only sounds that accompanied him were the roars and screeches of Grimm as well as their pounding footsteps along with his own.

* * *

It wasn't long since Ash's disappearance behind the walls of Grimm that the plaza was cleared of the creatures of Grimm, allowing the Beacon affiliates view of the city in its now partially destroyed state, but at the time, it couldn't be more beautiful. Cheering soon echoed throughout the city. The students all looked at each other, and could almost laugh at how badly most of them looked: tattered clothing, some bloody, some torn, some both, but none of them too beat up to not enjoy their survival, everyone except for those who knew the truth.

Teams RWBY, JNPR looked at the breach, half expecting something to come out of it, either additional Grimm or Ash himself, but they knew better. Team LAVA soon joined them, with Aaron carrying Lava, helping her look for her brother through the tunnel. Coco and Velvet joined them soon too, with Coco helping Velvet walk again. Glynda was left to her colleagues, still paralyzed, asking to be left alone until she was able to move again when she can start to repair the damages done to the city. Very few knew that she was actually paralyzed, and those who didn't just thought she was tired like them.

Lava was still crying against Aaron's chest, barely even looking at the tunnel to look for her brother. They could all still somewhat hear the Grimm inside the tunnel, but it was very quickly going away much to many people's elation and the dread of the few; even the Nevermores that circled above them like scavengers began to fly towards Mountain Glenn at a constant and steady pace, without a doubt attracted to Ash's anomaly as well. As much as Lava wanted to blame someone, there was no one she could push the blame to other than her brother. It was his plan, his decision, and he was right in saying that they couldn't do anything about it. They couldn't stop him without endangering the rest. She didn't know if her muscles could move again, but even if they were able to, she didn't want to. Her partner's familiar warmth and scent was the only thing that kept her from breaking down and chasing after her brother. She looked over to Weiss for a moment and saw a blank expression, but the quivering of her eyes and her rapid, irregular breathing gave away her true expression: a prideful person that just had her heart broken.

Lava tried to raise her hand towards the heiress but found that she could only lift her hand an inch before it fell on her stomach again, even her wings hung below her as if they were nothing more than curtains. Ruby placed her hand on Weiss shoulders and pulled the girl into a hug, one that the heiress didn't deny. Yang joined in and soon Blake. They all simply allowed the heiress to use them as shields to hide her crying to the others.

The battle may be over, but they had an obligation to stay at the plaza until the military arrives, either to start a riot and complain about how they were forced to hold off on their own despite the military promising to always be there to help in cases of distress or to ensure that no Grimm would come out of the tunnel until it's sealed up. They all simply waited, leaning against walls or sitting under trees, some taking the opportunity to sleep, while the others took care of the wounded to the best of their abilities. They tried to look for Lava for her semblance, but when they found her asleep, surrounded by her team, but Teams RWBY, JNPR, and CFVY, they all left, with the thought that their light wounds weren't enough to cause a commotion.

It was nearly half an hour after the battle was over did the military finally arrive. The warships blared their engines over them, earning them the glares of the students and the three professors. The new Knight-200 combat androids soon filled the streets and plaza, their guns pointed at the open tunnel while soldiers and medics rappelled in and began to care for the wounded. General Ironwood soon joined them in plaza, but as soon as his feet touched the ground, a building debris flew towards him at break neck speed, fortunately his training and experience allowed him to just barely duck under its trajectory, looking towards where the debris came from expecting some large Grimm, but found nothing. In truth, it was Glynda who flung it at him, barely able to do so with her muscles still mostly paralyzed.

He shouted orders at the Knights and the soldiers to secure the area and kill any stray Grimm that they find. He made his way to Glynda, Oobleck, and Port by Team RWBY expecting some sort of report from them. As he got closer, Glynda lost her sense of reasoning again and used her semblance with what little movement she was allowed to fling a fallen tree at him from behind, successful in hitting him this time around. Port and Oobleck simply allowed her to get unleash whatever retribution she deserved on the general. When Ironwood turned to see who threw it at him did he finally realize that his presence there wasn't welcomed considering the cold glares and whispering of the military's cowardice becoming more prominent to him.

Weiss was the first to move, letting her anger take over, making her way over to the older man with enough spite to cover for three people, but before she could take that anger out on him, the world shook as a loud boom echoed throughout the sky and the tunnel. In the distance, they could see an entire mountain, Mountain Glenn, collapse into itself. Screams of panic and despair soon accompanied it, masking the sound of Weiss, falling to her knees and the sound of her heart shattering into a million pieces.


	38. Here Lies Ash Valentine

It was easy to tell that the tunnel would've been dark if it hadn't been for the large holes in the ceiling where the Grimm and sunlight constantly poured in from like ants from their anthills and the small dim lights that he could guess the White Fang had hung there. And other than the additions that the White Fang had made, it was just how the books and reports had described it. It would've been enjoyable for him to stop and explore the large tunnel, but the Grimm around him was a constant reminder that he couldn't, but he couldn't help but thing that perhaps one day, he'd be allowed to return and sate his curiosity.

He could've laughed – he wanted to, in fact. In the face of impossible odds, he still held on to such an insignificant hope of even seeing the sun set, but his body felt light, his legs felt strong, almost as if he wasn't even running at all, almost as if he was flying. He couldn't feel the ground below, but a single glance down could tell him that the feeling was only in his imagination. That's why it confused him why he was even able to hope, and moreover, why he was even able to think of things other than just running for his life. He looked around and saw that everything was once more moving as if the air around them was molasses.

He could see every single twitch in the Grimm's muscles and fur, making them all easy to predict and react to, but it wasn't just his vision that was affected. His hearing seemed to have disappeared completely, as he was no longer able to hear the roars, screeches and footsteps, where the tunnel should've forced such sounds to echo. However, in place of his hearing, he became more aware. Without even turning around, it was almost as if he could see what's right behind him. He thought back to what Glynda had told him when he woke up with a headache this morning; a state the headmaster had called hyper focus. To him, it felt like many things. It was the greatest exhilaration that one could ever experience. It was the dullest sight, where one may actually need to wait for a minute to end. It made him feel powerful, unbeatable. But it could all be summed up in a single sentence: it felt like the end.

A situation in which there could only be one ending: the hero dies accomplishing very little if anything at all. He wondered if his namesake felt the same the night he met his end. The other soldiers around him fell, but even so, against the impossible odds, he stood his ground and slaughtered countless of Grimm before his injuries eventually took his life. And if he did feel the same, then are those named the same cursed to suffer the same hardships, perhaps even the same ending?

 _You could do the one thing that he could not all those years ago,_ Weiss' message rang in his head, her voice along with his mother's, as if the two were speaking in tandem. He knew Weiss to be serious when it came to such matters. Growing up mostly ignored by her father, in its place, a servant's promise, as well as growing up with looking to her sister as a mother figure, she wouldn't play the jester in the end, nor would she have known about the one thing that Vargas could not do. As far as he knew, only he and his mother knew what it was, something that she'd always told him to keep secret even from Lava.

For a moment, he was taken out of his thoughts, forced to dodge a pack of Beowolves in front of him. They swung their clawed hands and serrated teeth at him, anything they could do they did, as he pushed past him, but like before when he was under the watchful eyes of three of Beacon's professors, a voice spoke to him, telling him exactly where to look and how to dodge. Due to the excess momentum of their missed attacks, they were left to crash against each other and the ones behind them, giving the dragon some more distance between them. He turned back slightly as he continued to run and watched them roar at him as if to curse him.

It was only then that did he realize exactly how many were following him. In the midst of the countless bodies practically blending in with one another, creating the illusion of a single black mass composed of fur and scales, he could see countless angry and hungry white eyes all trained at him, much more than the plaza could've held, meaning that the constant pour of Grimm from the open holes might now be directed at only him, and for that, he smiled. He knew that as long the Grimm are running after him, the sheer number of the group alone would attract any Grimm that might've planned to go for the city. However, as he kept running in the slowed down world, he could already feel his semblance taking every bit of his energy away.

He deactivated his semblance, decreasing his speed and his ability to attract the Grimm, but with the distance they've gone from the city, and the sounds that his pursuers were making attracting other Grimm on their own, all he had to focus on now was dodging. When he turned back to the front, he saw a Deathstalker running as fast as it could towards him with its stinger raised, ready to ring it down on him. As he got closer, he paused for a moment in front of the large Grimm, watching the stinger. The Deathstalker screeched and brought it down, only to hit and impale the tip into the ground as Ash jumped back, but quickly jumped forward as the stinger was brought back up, flinging him even further forward, past a dozen other Grimm.

For that brief moment, the feeling of having wings again, flying through the sky ran through him like the wind, only to be grounded in reach of the Grimm once again. Unfortunately, the downward momentum forced him to go into a roll, slowing him down a bit, and before he could push off the ground to continue running, one lucky Beowolf happened to be close enough to run one of its clawed hands across his back, drawing four red lines, dripping with blood. Ash screamed in pain, but it served to give him some adrenaline to burn during his run. He pushed himself off the ground and kicked the Beowolf in the temple, his natural strength alone enough to knock it down on the ground at an alarming rate, slamming its other temple into the ground, reducing the Grimm to a state of gurgling mess. With his revenge exacted, he turned towards Mountain Glenn and kept running.

After minutes of simply running for his life, the world sped up again, returning to its normal state as his hyper focus disappeared. His head throbbed like it did earlier when he awoke before the fight for Vale, and even earlier that morning. His vision blurred for a second or two, but since the tunnel is more or less a straight line it wasn't much of a task to navigate through it until he had his vision was back to normal. He stumbled a bit, but continued on, being raised and pushed on by some unknown force. However, it helped him recover too slowly. Another Beowolf came up from behind him, taking the opportunity of him tripping on his feet to run faster than the rest and bring its claws across the dragon's back. Once more, Ash screamed in pain, but instead of retaliating, despite the dragon already being out of the hyper focus, the voice advising him returned, telling him to ignore the idea of revenge and simply use the Grimm to propel further forward. He followed it, having no reason to ignore as it only helped him before.

As more and more Grimm poured in from the holes, Ash was forced to use more of his semblance to get past them, draining much needed energy. He couldn't even see any sign of Mountain Glenn yet and already he could feel his body giving up on him. His legs felt like they were made out of lead, his arms felt like noodles hanging from his body, and his breathing was irregular, and no matter what he did to get everything back to normal only made things worse. Forcefully slowing his breathing made his legs feel heavier and made his head throb, blurring his vision. He dared not slow down in case the Grimm were right behind him, he didn't even look back in fear of knowing just how many more were behind him. If he had the breath for it, he would've laughed, fully knowing that if, for some reason, there was a chance of survival the moment he left Vale, it was gone now that the number of Grimm chasing has doubled, if not tripled.

Nevertheless, Ash kept running, keeping his promise and Weiss' message from his mother in mind, as if the two were his last strings of hope. He wasn't sure how long he'd been running exactly, but by the time he first saw the White Fang, his body hated him, nearly breaking down on him. His breathing, once irregular, now barely even noticeable was lost every time he took a step. His heart was beating hard against his chest, threatening to break his ribs and jump out of his chest in protest of the dragon's continued tendency to push his body past its limit. The only fortunate aspect about his exhaustion is that his legs had become numb to the pain they were in, allowing him to robotically move his legs without much care for pain.

Two Paladins stood at the other end of the tunnel, their arms in the form of plasma cannons. When Ash entered their view, they simply pointed all four canons at him, but did nothing else, sensing no immediate threat from the lone person running towards them. However, when the Grimm entered their view, the two immediately started shooting, killing whatever they can just in case they were able to get rid of all the Grimm, but as the Grimm kept appearing in a near endless horde the two turned and began to run, shouting 'Grimm!' through the Paladins' speakers, hoping that the other activists were able to hear their warning.

Soon, the Paladins came out of the tunnel and into the substation, the pilots still screaming 'Grimm!' at the top of their lungs. At first, the others merely stopped whatever they were doing and looked at them as if they were insane, under the impression that the chaos in Vale will attract any and all Grimm that managed to either fall in or wander into the holes that they knew the explosives on the train had made. When Ash breached through as well, their attention was directed at him as he ran in as if he belonged there, though the exhaustion on his face was even more evident than before. When the Grimm breached in and saw the numerous Faunus around them, they all split up and began to flood the room. The activists all ran in a panic, some fighting over who gets inside the Paladins while the others simply ran as fast as they could to the only other exit to the ruined city above, only for half of them to be ambushed and pounced on by the Grimm.

At the White Fang's terrified, scattered, and unorganized state, Ash was able to get away from the Grimm, scaling up several stories and hiding within one of the still standing decrepit buildings. From there, he peeked around the wall, ensuring to stay hidden as he watched the chaos he'd dragged along with him. Very quickly a portion of the White Fang either fell or fled, leaving some to try and coordinate with one another in a desperate attempt to survive. There were those who were lucky enough to find themselves in a Paladin, but inevitably were unable to use the armors' cannons lest they risk accidently shooting one of the many crates of Dust that they were unable to load onto the train. From an outside perspective, if it hadn't been for the Grimm constantly trying to pounce and pin the giant armors, it would've looked like the Paladins were wildly swinging their arms, trying to swat a fly.

Ash sighed as he listened to howls and footsteps either climbing up the building walls or running up the stairs, knowing that while his semblance was inactive, he Aura-less state still attracted the Grimm. Before they could get to him, Ash jumped out of the window and towards the nearest stack of Dust crates, clinging to whatever edge he could claw his fingers into. He turned to watch some Beowolves try to get to him, but half weren't able to make, leaving them to plummet towards the ground and trampled over other Grimm, and those that made it, clawed the edges of the boxes to stay on, unknowingly releasing some of its contents, causing them to pushed the Beowolves down. Once more, Ash was given some relief before, like his previous hiding spot, it was all taken back.

Some of the other Grimm took notice of the dragon hanging on the wooden tower and began to slam their bodies against the crates in an attempt to knock it over. The crates began to wobble, causing Ash to lose his grip on the ledge as the crates pushed him slightly away, but he managed to claw his fingers into the marks that the Beowolves left before they inevitably fell. Much like them, several vials and crystals to fall on him, threatening to push him towards those that wanted nothing more than to rip him limb from limb. As he held on for dear life, a thought came to him. He looked down at the Grimm below and saw the myriad of colors littering the floor, with many more falling down from the hole he was currently gripping at.

Ash let his left hand's grip come loose and caught a red vial. He brought it to his lips and bit onto the cork, pulling it off and letting the Dust powder inside pour on top of the Grimm. Unconvinced that a single vial would be enough for what he had planned, Ash grabbed more and did the same to them that he did with the first, releasing what must be a total of six vials of Dust powder down on the Grimm. He looked down and saw the Grimm slightly confused as to what was now covering their coat. Smiling at how truly mindless they were, Ash grabbed another vial of red Dust powder and threw it as hard as he could at the ground below. When the glass vial shattered, the volatile powder inside ignited, causing a small explosion at the ground, as well as igniting what's already on the ground.

The Grimm that were covered in the powder were immediately lit ablaze, frozen, or utterly ripped apart by the mixture of different colored Dust. Unfortunately, the explosion had been larger than what Ash had expected, the force and the heat penetrating through the wood of the crate and igniting the Dust inside as well, causing a chain reaction of pure destruction as the whole stack began to explode one crate at a time. In a moment of desperation, Ash pushed away from the stack and tried his best to make back to the building he started on. The explosion's force pushed him forward, throwing off his aim, causing him to slam his head against the wall. Ash fell all the way down to the ground, his dazed state disabling him from turning his body to allow him to roll. He landed on his back, with his left arm in between it and the hard ground. The pain of having the radius and ulna break was enough to snap him out of the dazed state, as well as giving him an extra bit of adrenaline as his body tried to fight the pain.

His scream of pain as he clutched his broken, bleeding left arm would've echoed in the subterranean train station, if it weren't for the roars and screeches of the Grimm, and the screams of the White Fang in the distance. Around him, there were only dissipating corpses of the Grimm caught in the explosion as well as wooden shards and burnt or frozen patches of dirt, asphalt, and cement. His ears still rung from the explosion, but a single glance at his injury was reason enough to ignore it. If it weren't for the blood flowing out, he'd be able to see the tip of a white bone with jagged edges serving as the tip as it punctured his skin from the inside.

Ash got up and made his way to a nearby stack of crates, punching a hole through it and allowing the content spill out. He looked at the vials and grabbed one filled with fire Dust, before he looked around again for some cloth. He found the corpse of a male activists simply lying on the ground as if he had fallen asleep on his stomach and had forgotten to take his mask off. The back of his clothing was covered in soot, indicating that he was probably a victim of friendly fire, being too close to the epicenter of a cannon shot from a Paladin. Ash ripped the White Fang uniform off and tore it to three strips as best he could with one arm.

He took one last look around as well as a final breath before he wrapped one of the strips around his right hand and pulled as pushed the bone back into place. Before his adrenaline could run out, Ash immediately grabbed the vial and slammed it against the most major of his wounds, keeping it there even as it ignited, heating up his skin and the shard of the glass vial, burning a portion of his wounds close with the heated glass. He bit his lower lip until it bled, but allowed him to ensure that the scream that threatened to escape his lips and attract unwanted attention from the Grimm, was fully stifled. A sharp inhalation soon followed, as he grabbed yet another strip and wrapped it around his left forearm, trying to contain the bleeding that he had failed to close. As his heart beat hard against his chest from the pain, Ash grabbed the final strip and wrapped it around his left forearm and neck as a makeshift sling.

It wasn't the best, actually, it may be more towards just under mediocre at best, but considering the situation, it was better than just leaving it alone. As he was finishing, more Grimm poured out of the tunnel, forcing him to turn and run, ignoring the pain of having his left arm bounce around. He ran towards the rest of the fight, in hopes to lose them in the negativity, but no matter how long he spent running around the activists, all he managed to do was attract more Grimm to him. Once more, his exhaustion overcame the adrenaline fueling him and with his new wound, he was no longer able to run, barely able to jog at all. He looked around again, trying to find somewhere to hide long enough to get some of his stamina back, and at the same time, hopefully, his Aura.

As far as he could see, if the number of Grimm hadn't eclipsed the number of the White Fang before, it surely has now. What remained of the White Fang in their white uniforms was drowned in a sea of black fur and scales, while the rest had already fled to the ruined city, were in the Paladins, or were already lying on the ground dead, waiting to be eaten by Grimm. One Paladin, however, lay on the ground with its hatch open and what seemed to be the pilot on the ground by its feet, being eaten by two Beowolves. Exhausted he may be, but surely, trying to take on two is better than trying to take on whatever's behind him.

He grabbed two Dust crystals, one red, one pale blue, from the spilled pile and walked towards the down Paladin as fast as he could, not daring to run in an attempt to conserve as much energy as possible. The two Beowolves stopped feeding on the dead Faunus and looked up at the dragon, giving Ash a good view of their meal. The Faunus had been stripped of its clothing and most of its upper body had already been eaten while the rest was covered in blood and dirt, making it discernible in terms of gender and age. One Beowolf momentarily ignored the dragon and continued its meal, thinking that such a weakened prey wouldn't be able to a thing. The other Beowolf, however, charged at Ash as fast as it could, salivating at the fresh, new meal in front of it.

Still unable to move very much, Ash pocketed the pale blue crystal and clutched the red one in his right hand tightly. The Beowolf roared at him, but quickly regretted it when Ash threw the red crystal in its open maw, the combination of the force exerted, the running speed of the Beowolf, and the moisture of its throat allowing the crystal to slide all the way down to its stomach. It stopped and clutched its throat in panic, tripping on its own feet, rolling on the ground towards Ash. Once its momentum depleted and its rolling come to a stop, Ash summoned what little energy he had left and brought his knee up as fast as he possibly could, crashing against the Grimm's chin. Once he had clear view of its throat, Ash grabbed it and slammed it as hard as he could on the ground. Kneeling next to it, Ash threw a straight at the open abdomen. The force he generated ignited the crystal inside, burning the Grimm's stomach lining, expanding to the rest of its innards, before the fire ran up to its gullet and came out of its mouth and nostrils.

At the sight of its friend's death, the Beowolf that kept eating, stopped whatever it was doing and charged the dragon in an attempt to avenge its friend. Ash looked up hearing fast footsteps get closer and simply watched the Beowolf run towards him, as he reached inside his pocket and pulled out the pale blue crystal. He waited a few more moments, watching the Beowolf with intent before tossing it out in front of him, immediately turning away and shielding his eyes, keeping an ear out for the feint sound of the pale blue crystal detonating. The crystal shattered and bathed the Grimm and the world with a blinding light.

Once the light was gone, Ash used whatever energy he had left and ran towards the Paladin, passing the blinded Beowolf swinging its arms as if fighting an invisible enemy. He climbed in as quickly as he could, and settled in on the pilot seat. The seat, as if recognizing that an operator was present, spun around so that Ash faced the front, and behind him, the hatch closed and locked. Several screens appeared before him, giving a view of every direction around the Paladin. He looked below the screens and found two pedals that he quickly placed his feet on, and two control columns on either side of the chair with two tracks for both. On the front side of each stick were red triggers, sunk in close to the bulbous tip to disable the pilot from pressing it accidently, and on the top of the stick was a small blue button with no other sign to indicate what it was.

With only one functional arm, Ash gripped the right control tightly and tested it, guiding it on the track and onto the other one. When he did so, the red trigger unlocked and the sound of machines whirring came from the monitors. On a monitor to his right, he could see the Paladin's right arm folded into itself and the barrel of its gun jutted out from what would be the forearm. As he tried to examine the gun, in the corner of his eye, on the same screen, he was able to see the Beowolf he blinded earlier, now angrier than before. It was running back towards him, and in a slightly panicked reaction, Ash moved the stick until the gun towards the general direction of the Grimm and crosshairs appeared in the middle of the one screen. When the crosshair was over the Beowolf, Ash pulled the trigger and a blast of concussive energy gathered at the tip of the barrel before rushing forward, hitting the Beowolf square on the chest.

The Beowolf was blasted backwards towards the buildings and Ash let loose another blast, this one missing the Beowolf completely, but blasting the building itself. The building gave a low groan before it began to fall over, coming apart as it did, crushing the lone Grimm underneath it. As if it was helping keep the rocky ceiling up, as soon as the building fell, a large portion of the ceiling fell along with it. Several large chunks fell on the remaining buildings causing them to collapse as well, and when they fell, it seemed that the mountain itself shook as more of the ceiling to collapse into the substation.

"Hey! What are you doing firing off the cannon?!" he heard a male activist yell to his left. He turned to face the screen on the left and found one activists like the one that lay dead and mostly eaten nearby, trying to hold off the countless Grimm trying to pounce on him with nothing more than a stolen Atlas rifle. "If you had shot one of the stacks, you'd cause this entire place to fall on us! Some idiot already took out one of the stacks! We're lucky this place hasn't already caved in!"

An Ursa came up from behind the activist, ready to swing a heavy paw at him. Realizing that he'd be unable to do anything, the activist just closed his eyes, waiting for the incoming blow, but it never came. Instead, he heard the slightly unnerving sound of a Paladin running fast towards him and a loud and metallic thud when the last Paladin footstep was next to him, spraying small pebbles at him when it stomped on the ground. He opened his eyes again and found the Ursa planted into the natural rock wall. He clapped the Paladin's leg as a sign of thanks, before he climbed on top of the Paladin, taking aim at anything that came close.

"Hey, thanks for saving my ass. Now let's get back to the rest, we gotta hold this place. We spent too long stealing all of this stuff," he said, utterly happy, not knowing that the person inside the armor he was riding had other plans than to help the White Fang. Ash began to move the Paladin closer to the rest like the activist wanted, but more to inspect what remained of the White Fang. "I bet it's those brats from Beacon! I don't know how they did it, but I know it's them! It'll be a sweet opportunity to get revenge on them in the future! I bet that Torchwick will let us have some fun with them too! Wouldn't that be a thing!? That Schnee will be worthwhile breaking, don't you thin—"

Before he could even finish his thought, the Paladin jumped back towards the walls of the cavern, crushing the activist between the Paladin's back and the rocks. His Aura kept him alive, leaving him only dizzy, but the sudden attack completely depleted it. The Paladin stepped forward, allowing the activist to fall to the ground. He looked up as if to look at the armor's pilot through the thick metal, trying to figure out what he was thinking attacking a friendly like that. He wasn't able to let out a single word though, as the Paladin's right arm, once more, seemed fold back into the shoulder, retracting the gun barrel and replacing it with a tightly coiled fist. Ash forced the fist forward, slamming the giant metal fist against the Faunus, pushing him further into the wall and the ground.

Over and over again, Ash attacked the Faunus, until he was no more than an unrecognizable combination of bloody paste and bits and pieces of cloth. Ash took a moment to regain his composure, breathing slowly, trying to slow down his breathing and conceal the anger rising within him, clawing to get out. It hadn't been the first time that he allowed his anger to dictate his actions, but it was the first that he allowed it to come this far and it was the first time that he hadn't regretted it even a single bit. In his mind, the White Fang weren't beyond reproach, Blake and Tukson being the perfect examples of that, but the one he'd just killed was one that he couldn't ever forgive, and should he be trialed and faulted for the crime, then he wouldn't do a thing to stop it.

The smell of newly spilled blood and tenderized meat attracted the Grimm like moths to a flame, circling Ash and cornering him. Even though the Paladin's back was turned to them, Ash counted their numbers through the screens displayed in front of him: 32, composing of Beowolves, Ursai, and Creeps. He had no idea how much the armor could take before it breaks, or how much it had already taken, for all he knew, it was on its last knees and a fight with the Grimm now would result in an unfortunate end for both the Paladin and its pilot. However, considering the unlikeliness of his survival anyway, Ash turned the Paladin around as well as brought out the gun barrel again, firing off a blast when was fully turned around.

The concussive blast crashed against an Ursa's chest, pushing it away as nothing more than a corpse with its chest collapsed inwards, crushing the ribs, lungs, and heart. That lone Ursa's death became the signal for the other Grimm. The remaining 31 all rushed the Paladin together, some clinging to the chinks of the armor as they tried to rip it off to no avail. Without any larger Grimm to destroy the armor, they could only hope to slowly scrape off whatever part of the armor they could. Ash swatted and brushed off whatever Grimm he could with the right arm, but the more he hit away the more replaced them. Eventually, the Grimm had actually knocked the Paladin over; with the three Ursai keeping the left arm against the ground while another group was on the right.

Ash tried to move the Paladin, but the weight on it proved to be too much even for the best piece of Atlas technology. He could see and hear the Grimm trying to claw their way to him, and realizing that it'll only be a matter of time till they accomplish their goal, Ash reached over to the left control column and guided it to the other track, the machinery whirring as it struggled against the weight of the three Ursai, but eventually managed to collapse the fist into the arm and the gun barrel appeared at the wrist and a crosshair appeared on the left most screen. Ash turned the arm so that the barrel was directed towards the ground, fighting against the armor's joints. As soon the crosshair was completely over the ground just under the nearby Grimm, Ash pulled the trigger.

The blast blew away the nearby Grimm, including the three Ursai on the left arm. Ash pulled the trigger again, and the force the concussive blast generated when it hit the ground pushed the Paladin to the right, flipping it so that it was lying down on its front. He could see the Grimm already coming back towards him to pin the Paladin down again, and in the corner of his eye, he was able to see the crate stacks. Before the Grimm could pin him down again, and out of curiosity, Ash pressed the blue button on the right stick and he heard the machine whir again, similar to the sound of the hatch closing. A crosshair appeared on the center screen as the others disappeared. In the upper right corner of the center screen, the icon of missiles next to the number six appeared, telling Ash all he needed to know.

He forced the Paladin to kneel and propped it up with the right arm and once more, he pulled the trigger and he heard a missile fly out from the Paladin's back, headed straight to the crates. Ash smiled for the moment before the missile blew up the crates, knowing that at the very least he would be able to kill those that were in the substation with him, albeit Grimm or White Fang, and possibly even causing the ceiling to collapse to kill the ones that were successful in escaping by causing them to fall back into the cavern.

The explosion initially came with the usual fiery red from the missile before one or two more colors of different hues flashed brightly, and then there were twelve all at one. Whenever one color disappeared, it reappeared elsewhere, coming from a different vial or crystal, or even from another crate. The view would've been spectacular, like beautiful fireworks against the night sky, but the blood, gore, and chaos that accompanied each explosion turned it to a horror movie instead. Some of the crates were even blown away a small distance before the contents inside ignited and detonated, giving the cavern a new set of lights for everyone to gaze upon or die upon. A cacophony of screams, a combination of pain and panic and death, soon filled what was once the substation from both Faunus and Grimm.

Just as he thought, the ceiling soon gave out due to the explosions, falling in large chunks that crushed whatever was left the station and whatever poor creature just happened to be right under it. Every one of them could hear the entire mountain groan as if it was in pain before more of the ceiling collapsed, then soon, the walls. The tunnel that leads to Vale wasn't spared. It was the first of the two entrances to collapse, blocking any more Grimm from entering, but as the world kept shaking, the sounds of the tunnel turning into rubble could be heard. Even the city above could be heard groaning in pain. From what little of the outside he could see from the crack that the White Fang escaped to, the ruins began to fall over, without a doubt crushing some of those that have escaped the cavern.

Needless to say, Ash wasn't spared as well. Chunks of the ceilings and the walls fell on the Paladin, crushing the cameras and even laser motion tracker, losing his ability to see the outside world, but he could hear plenty to know what's happening. The screams from the White Fang soon faded into nothing, leaving only Ash and the Grimm in the cavern, but soon after that, the roars of the Grimm disappeared as well. Ash closed his eyes and listened to the drum-like sounds of rocks and pebbles battering the armor, which in some strange sense would've been soothing if it hadn't meant being buried alive. With his eyes closed, he continued to listen to the destruction happening outside. The minutes seemed to turn to hours as he simply sat inside the Paladin, waiting for Mountain Glenn to stop shaking and for rocks to stop falling. In an attempt to keep track of the time and to keep whatever hope still burned within him, Ash counted every second that passed, thinking that if he could figure out exactly how rubble there was around him, he could maybe find a way out.

The higher he counted, however, the more hope and energy seemed to leave his body. By the time he reached 240, the shaking was still as strong as ever, though due to his panic, it felt even stronger. Thoughts of death filled his head, completely forgetting the reason why he was in such a situation in the first place. The only thing that kept him hoping was the fact that he had yet to die from lack of air, telling him that somewhere, there was a gap large enough to supply him with oxygen, but there was no telling if it was simply large enough to stave off death for a few more minutes, or if some large rock would end up plugging it before the quaking stopped. He could almost laugh at how easily he could describe himself at the moment, a single word to sum up his entire being: terrified.

When his count reached well above 700, he stopped counting; with all hope having already left his body save for the fact that he was still able to breathe. After a few more minutes – though to Ash, hours – Mountain Glenn had finally stopped shaking, and led by his curiosity, Ash turned the seat around and the hatch opened half way with a creak. From what he could see from the cracks of the door, there were several boulders blocking the hatch from fully opening. Ash brought his knees up to his chest and aimed his feet at the hatch. Gathering whatever strength he had left and even using a portion of excess energy to fuel his semblance for a single kick, Ash forced the hatch open, pushing away the boulders, though at the same time, removing the hatch from the Paladin.

He stepped outside and took in his new surroundings. Buildings from the city above now lay in parts and rubble around him, turning the once spacious substation, only filled with White Fang activists and countless Dust crates, into a tight maze, littered with corpses. He looked up thinking that if the city were now down below, there would no longer be a ceiling, and he was right to a certain extent. The ceiling that blocked the sky before wasn't there anymore, but it was replaced with large boulders, leading him to wonder exactly destruction had he wrought upon the region. In the middle of it all, a tiny ray of sunlight poured in. Other than that, there was no other noticeable opening for oxygen to come in, meaning that something small and insignificant plugging up the hole is all it takes to kill him.

He wanted to scream out for help, but he knew better than anyone else that the only ones who could hear him at that point were the dead. Before the hopelessness of the situation could take over and have him scream out anyway, several howls echoed in the cavern. Ash looked towards the direction of the howls, right hand tightening to a fist as he stepped forward with his right foot, going into a southpaw stance. He knew from the start that his chances of survival were very slim at best, but he'd never forgive himself if the Grimm caused his death. It wasn't long before three Beowolves appeared over the rubble, all snarling at the dragon as if they knew that he was the one that caused their most recent misfortune, and as if to challenge the, Ash flared his semblance for a brief moment with a smile on his face.

All three scaled their way down to him, attacking him once they had the chance. All three tried to pounce on him, but only flew over Ash as he ducked low to the ground to the point where he was touching the ground with three fingers. He had no energy left, he knew that fighting now would only be an invitation for death, but he no longer cared. So long as he could still move his limbs, he'll prove to the world that he can handle the Grimm. Ash stood up and turned in time to see one Beowolf try to pounce on him again. Once more, Ash ducked, this one just enough for the Beowolf to pass over him. Just as it cleared him, the dragon reached for its leg and gripped the ankle as tight as he could, stopping its momentum in the air before bringing it back over and slamming it against the ground.

Seeing their friend in trouble, the other two attacked while Ash was preoccupied. The first caught him by surprise and drove its claws against his back, from shoulder to hip, while the second one was expected, allowing Ash to at the very least move to dodge it. He spun counter clockwise and dodged the brunt of the attack, but a bit too late as a claw cut the left corner of his lip. The taste of blood immediately became the only sensation evident to him, and he had no doubt the Grimm wanted the same taste. Once more, as if to challenge them, Ash flared his semblance and turned to the one he slammed to the ground, grabbing it by the wrists and placing a foot against its back. He pulled the arms back and pushed his foot forward as hard as he could, easily ripping the arms from the Grimm. The Beowolf roared in pain, as the other just stood there slightly intimidated by the will to fight from the Faunus that was supposed to have been hopeless.

Despite his lack of energy, Ash ran towards the other two, a challenge the Beowolves were willing to accept. They ran forward as well with their clawed hands raised, ready to drive it across their enemy's body, wearing him down before they kill and eat him, hoping that the meal would give them enough energy to dig their way out of their rocky tomb. Ash was the first to launch an attack, leaping slightly, bringing his two feet together as he thrust it forward towards the Grimm. His feet crashed against one of the Beowolve's jaw, pushing it back a few feet on the ground. Unfortunately, when he leapt, he turned so that his left side was below him, used to catching himself with his left arm. When he landed, a sharp pain shot up his spine, as he let loose a pained. As he turned on ground so that he was no longer lying down on his left arm, the other Beowolf came up to him and brought it claws down on him like a spear. Having no other way to dodge, Ash kept rolling to the side as far away from the Grimm as possible, experiencing the pain of having to land on his left arm over and over again.

He pushed himself up as soon as he can, with his vision blurry from pain. He could barely see the Beowolves, but they seemed to have slowed down. He didn't know exactly why, but a part of him had already conceded to the fact that he was going to die, be it death by Grimm, death by asphyxiation, or death by crushing, it was the same; he was going to die either way. He closed his eyes, and simply waited for the Grimm to come and kill him, having conceded to his fate.

 _Get up, Ash! You have to fight,_ he could hear Weiss' voice echo from the depths of his mind, and while he didn't will it, his body stood up and his eyes opened. Now his vision was back to normal and the Grimm really were slow, as if they were stuck in air made of molasses. _Remember your promise to me. You have to come back._

He laughed at how her voice seemed to be held back, as if choking on her heart as she held back tears. Slightly invigorated by her voice, he ran towards the Grimm, though even if he didn't want to, he wasn't sure whether or not his body would comply with his wishes. As the three met, he could still hear Weiss' voice instructing him on what to do, and he did them without question. Whenever she said to dodge, he dodged. Whenever she said to attack, he attacked. Her voice seemed to cheer him on despite the fact that, he may have his will to fight again, but it was pointless if he didn't have any energy left. There were a few times when this fact left him hesitating for a moment, a moment that the Grimm used to slice the dragon's body, drawing more blood and draining him of much needed energy.

He had cuts, shallow and deep, all over his body by the time there was only one Beowolf left. The other one now a dissipating corpse against a boulder with its lower jaw pushed back as far as its spine. The last Beowolf charged at him, and he just watched it get closer. Weiss' voice told him, screaming at him, almost desperately to dodge the attack, but he knew he had no energy left. When the Beowolf leapt to pounce on him, he dragged his left arm out of the sling and brought it up. The Grimm bit down on his left forearm, its sharp teeth getting all the way to the broken bones. Ash raised his right arm and for one last time, activated his semblance, concentrating it all on his right arm until it had a bracer and glove of pure red smoke. The Beowolf barely had enough time to look up at him as the dragon brought his fist against the Beowolf's neck, almost able to see the spine bend to the side before shattering.

The Beowolf lost its grip on Ash's left forearm and fell to the ground convulsing. At that moment, for Ash, the world returned to its normal state and he was hit with a large burst of exhaustion, much more than the night before, but he stayed on his feet. His consciousness was already drifting away, but he could feel his body moving, heading back to the Paladin. He climbed in and sat on the chair as it turned to face the front. Before he completely passed out, one final thought came to mind. Now that everything is over, he was no longer afraid of death, and he can be proud to have such a monumental grave. Those select few that know can look to Mountain Glenn and read the hidden inscriptions.

 _Here Lies Ash Valentine._


	39. You Reckless Little Girl!

Vale was in a panic as the ground shook furiously. Mountain Glenn, a failed project, a dark monument, became nothing but a pile of rocks in a matter of minutes. The Hunters and Huntresses, full fledged or in training, stopped celebrating their victory and momentarily forgetting their hatred towards the Atlas military, simply watching the mountain steadily crumble, most not knowing about those in the caverns underneath the ruined city. The few that remained mostly calm assisted the military in trying to relax the others, fearing that their panic would attract the Grimm before anyone could plug the breach. Their attempts weren't fruitless, but nevertheless, General Ironwood had the Knights stand guard of the hole for the possibility. Dozens of people were coerced into re-gaining and retaining their composure, however, there were three people that, no matter what anyone does, could not recover from the mountain collapse.

Weiss, Glynda, and Lava were the only ones who remained in shock the longest at the sight of the destroyed the mountain, but no one other that those who knew of Ash's involvement in the ordeal could understand why. Out of the three, Glynda was the most composed, simply crying quietly as she remained lying still from Ash's paralyze with her eyes focused on anything in the opposite direction of Mountain Glenn. Though her composure wasn't much of an accomplishment. Weiss was surrounded by her teammates, after Ruby dragged her back from when she fell to her knees in shock, openly crying as she clutched her chest as if she couldn't breathe; and should she find the breath to say so at the moment, there wouldn't be anyone who wouldn't believe her. Lava was the worst of the three. She had constant streams of tears flowing from the corners of her eyes as she let her vocals loose. Many didn't know why she was crying, and so desperately at that, but no one bothered to ask, fully knowing that if they did, the three teams around her would without a doubt treat them as Grimm, especially the wolf Faunus so ever close to her.

The members of Team CFVY asked whoever they could, mainly Team JNPR, everything that they knew about what they didn't already know about Ash, with everyone, especially Coco, stunned when Velvet revealed that Ash had already told her his secret long ago. The only ones that they didn't ask were Teams RWBY and LAVA, fearing the obvious taboo of the boy's name within the two teams. Even Glynda told them all they wanted to know as long as she knew the answer to them; no questions were left unanswered, no answers were deemed too embarrassing, and no detail was ever unneeded. She told them, every single thing she knew about him, save his disguise at the prom.

Once more General Ironwood tried to get some answers from the three professors, and once more Glynda wouldn't let him. Answering her students' questions had proved to take her mind from the situation and Lava's cries to the heavens, but as soon as the general entered her line of sight, her previous anger began to boil in her chest again. For a moment, she was able to focus her anger into her right arm and was able to move it once again. She grabbed her riding crop and waved it as fast as she could towards the muscular man. One of the new Knights flew across the plaza and towards the general. It was unfortunate that the general saw the single movement from the blonde professor and managed to dodge the large projectile.

"Glynda! Would you stop this foolishness? You've got students here that are supposed to look up to you for guidance. You're being nothing more than a delinquent," he said as he marched closer to her. Everyone watched as Glynda simply lied still, though seemingly trying her best to move, not knowing that she was in fact unable to. She almost gave up, no longer having the energy to move even with her anger stronger than ever, but Teams JNPR and CFVY got in between them, leaving Glynda enough room to see the general. "And what are the eight of you doing? Don't act as if I'm going to arrest your professor. I just need a few questions answer—"

"Speaking of questions, I'm pretty sure everyone here has a question for you," Jaune threatened, suddenly getting a burst of courage, as if Weiss, Glynda, and Lava's collected anger was being transferred to him. All eyes suddenly turned towards the general, pushing him into a corner he wouldn't ever be able to run from. He wouldn't ever know it, but Jaune smiled similarly to how Ash would when he knew that he had already won, and like the many before that were showed the same expression, Ironwood was unnerved. "If you want answers, then we'll give it all to you, but you'll have to give us some yourself. And I know you're tired from being the hero of the day, but I think we should be the ones to ask first."

"Mind your tone kid," the older man replied, glaring back at Jaune, not wanting to be outdone by someone so much younger, as well as to preserve whatever dignity and credibility he has left. Jaune didn't back down, having as much to say as the general's pride is high. As Ironwood continued his argument, anyone could see Jaune's patience steadily deplete. "You're in no position to make demands here. I understand you're upset, but it would be much more—"

"UPSET!? Try furious," Jaune interrupted once more, barely able to hold him back from doing something he might possibly regret later. He wanted to attack, to try and avenge his friend in anyway possible. A vengeful thought kept running in his mind: if it weren't for the tardiness of the military, then Ash wouldn't have had to act as the bait so they could all live. "The one who can't make any demands right now is you. Whose going to believe that military actually got here to save the day? What have you done since you got here? Secure the breach? It's already been secured, half an hour before you got here."

"The threat of the Grimm would always be present," Ironwood argued back, fully aware that the argument was weak compared to what the students around him experienced. If it was only the students, he would've been able to stand as firm as always, but the three professors seemed to be against him as well, simply letting their students express their clear displeasure. "You've yet to experience exactly how unpredictable the Grimm truly are, therefore I'm willing to forgive you, but trust me when I say you have no idea what you're talking about."

"Alright fine, if the Grimm actually shows up again through that tunnel, then I'll get on my knees and beg you to forgive me, but until then, you're not getting anything out of us," the blonde said mockingly, knowing that no one present would forgive the military for a very long time. What's more is that Jaune could see that his provoking has chipped away at the general's composure. He wondered where such confidence came from, and if he could keep it, but for now, his anger and frustration would be reason enough. "Instead, you're going to tell us everything that we want to know. And _you_ trust _me_ , general. We have a lot of questions."

"And what makes you think that I'll allow you to—" Ironwood tried to argue, his tone giving away his frustration from the situation, but Jaune, once more, interrupted him, clearly tired of the general's attempts to avoid the inevitable.

"What do you think the world will think if the news headline read 'Atlas' Cowardly Military' or how about 'Atlas Abandons Vale?" Jaune challenged, his glare intensifying as if challenging the older man to a battle to the death. The others around him were stunned. The usually shy and weak leader was now pushing the esteemed general of the largest military in Vale into a corner and keeping him there without any trouble. "The media will be here soon. What are you going to do? Arrest us? Sure, go ahead. Make sure that the people don't trust you guys anymore. Face it. You need us to keep our mouths shut. _You_ need to cooperate with _our_ demands _._ "

Overhead, a Bullhead appeared behind buildings to the north and very slowly landed on the, now, open plaza to drop off some more field medics with medicinal kits in hand, immediately rushing out to tend to the wounded. Aaron momentarily left his partner's side, knowing that there was nothing he could do for her then, and disappeared into the thick group of students, seemingly uninterested in the argument between Jaune and General Ironwood. Lava noticed his disappearance but said nothing by it, still having both Valora and Aiden by her side. The dragon's crying became quieter and much more contained, a lot like Weiss', mere minutes ago, and its that sorrow and the fact that she was still paralyzed that her anger hadn't already taken over.

"We contacted you guys two hours ago, a half hour before the tunnel was opened in the city," Jaune explained slowly in an almost calm tone of voice, but to the general, it was to mock him. He knew he couldn't do anything to silence the teen, nor could he get away from the current situation without being branded as a coward and a failure, but he also didn't want to give away any answer that his compromise his position. "The question is, why did you guys get here a little over two hours after we made that call?"

"I do not have the power to govern over the entire military," he explained, obviously dodging around the question as best he could. He'd told the professors but by the way they weren't saying anything, and the fact that Glynda, for whatever reason was severely angry with him, he wouldn't be getting any help from them. He didn't need to look around to know that everyone was looking at him expectantly, including the soldiers he'd brought with him. "The decision for the matter resides with the council. I had no choice but to remain on standby until they'd reached a decision, whether or not Vale was worth saving."

"I can already see it now, general," Coco said in fake enthusiasm, clapping her hands together with a faked smile, her eyes looking up in the sky almost dreamily as if something fascinating was there. There were slight traces of anger dripping from every letter in each word, until finally she couldn't contain it anymore. "It's not 'Atlas Abandons Vale,' it's 'ATLAS ABANDONS THE OTHER THREE KINGDOMS!"

"Hey! What are you doing? Get out of there!" an Atlas soldier yelled from the opposite side of the plaza before the general could try and defuse the situation he found himself in. All of them turned to look at the commotion and found the wolf Faunus of Team LAVA in the cockpit of the lone Bullhead in the plaza flipping switches and pushing buttons as the Bullhead's engines came to life and the rotors began to turn.

Aaron jumped out of the Bullhead, leaving the engine running, and immediately broke out in a run towards his partner. Without saying another word, he picked up Lava, carrying her like a princess, and made his way back to the Bullhead. Still paralyzed, Lava just looked up at him, wondering what his plan was. Behind the two of them, Valora and Aiden were following them, weapons in hand just in case someone tries to stop them. When the team got to the Bullhead, they found a soldier already in there, flipping switches and pressing buttons to shut the Bullhead down. The wolf placed Lava on the floor of the Bullhead and ripped the soldier away from the controls and threw him out. He looked to the numerous students looking at him, wondering what he was doing, as well as the Atlas group ready to arrest him.

He could almost laugh at the nostalgic sight and threatening the world to arrest him, almost knowing that he'd get away with it without much of a challenge. He looked to the back, where the injured were, along with the professors and Teams RWBY and JNPR. He found the members of Team RWBY looking at him, spotting mainly Weiss, with her eyes all red and puffed like his partner. He whistled loudly and motioned for them to come over with one hand, but after mere thirty seconds, they hadn't moved a single step.

"Come on! You guys just want to stay there while we look for him, or are you coming with us?" he yelled as he rapidly tapped his foot on the cold metal floor as a sign of his rapidly decreasing patience. Team RWBY looked at each other as if to ask each other whether or not he could be trusted, but soon discarded the thought as long as they had the chance to save their friend… if there was even one to begin with. "Hey general, figured you owe us one so we're taking this. You don't mind do you? Great! Thanks!"

Aaron went directly to the cockpit and messed around with the control panel until the engine came back to life faster than the soldier had shut it off. When the blades began to whir, he looked outside and found Aiden helping Team RWBY onto the Bullhead, and further back, Port had one of Glynda's arms around his neck and shoulders, helping her get to the Bullhead. And even further back, Oobleck had his thermos fully extended in one hand, holding it out in front of the Atlas general to ensure that he wouldn't be able to take a step without him knowing.

The other soldiers move forward to help their commanding officer, but were stopped by the students who were still itching for a fight, even if they were against well trained soldiers, even if they were exhausted, even if they had no hope of winning. None took a step, not wanting to start something they'd end up regret in more ways than one. When Aaron climbed out of the Bullhead, many turned to him, wondering what he'd do next. Without even giving them a passing glance, Aaron made his way to the back with the injured and grabbed one of the medics by the back of the shirt and pushed him towards the Bullhead. When the medic refused to move, Aaron pulled out one of his dagger-machine pistols and pointed it straight at the medic's head.

"Look, buddy, I don't want to kill you. Trust me, I really don't, but if we don't take you and we do find him, then my girlfriend would just kill me, and I like my life more than I like yours," the wolf threatened rather positively, smiling at his hostage even as if he dug the barrel of his weapon with a compensator into the his back, pushing him forward and urging him to keep walking. The medic did as he was told; not knowing that the boy had ran out of ammo in the fight against the Grimm. No one moved; the students were stunned at the bandit-like path that the wolf took, while the soldiers didn't move, not wanting to be responsible for their comrade's death. "Don't worry buddy, you'll be fine. We just need your help to save an idiot that makes his friends and family worry about him. Don't you just hate that?"

"Listen, ok, I get it, so can you put the gun down? I'll come with you ok?" the medic quickly agreed with fear clear in his voice as he raised both hands in the air with what seemed to be a large first aid kit in the shape of a briefcase in his right hand. Aaron shrugged his shoulders and complied, putting the weapon down and relieving the medic of the immediate threat. "Thank you. What a day this has been…"

"Trust me, buddy. I know," Aaron replied, almost laughing with his new friend. He looked over to the general and found the older man glaring at him as he was hold up by Oobleck's extended thermos as well as Coco Adel's minigun, once more, almost making the wolf laugh at how utterly ridiculous the sight was. To hell with the White Fang, the students of Beacon are now the bandits of the world. "We're just going to Mountain Glenn, look for a little bit, you're going to work your magic on the idiot I told you about when we find him, then we all go back home. Simple right?"

"That's not a good idea," the medic replied, stopping in his tracks at the thought of going to Mountain Glenn – or at this point, what's left of the mountain. Aaron let out a sigh and once more, pulled out one of his weapons and shoved the blade tip into the back of his captive. The medic swallowed some saliva out of fear and kept moving, knowing that asking the wolf to put the weapon down was now impossible. "We don't know what happened to Mountain Glenn. For all we know, it could still blow up with what's left of whatever made it collapse in the first place. Besides, there's nothing there now. Nothing could survive, not even the Paladin could."

"Right, but we're not looking for a Paladin now are we?" Aaron asked sarcastically, pulling out the other dagger-machine pistol and poking the tip into the medic's back, forcing him to move faster. "We're looking for something more stubborn. He's not dead. And if he is, he'll probably find a way to come back to life."

Aaron kept pushing the medic until they reached the Bullhead, asking Aiden to keep the medic on board even if he had to hold him down. The Bullhead was already cramped with two full teams, a paralyzed professor, and a medic, all sharing the same small space, but they managed. Port stayed outside with his weapon ready to defend his students and colleague until they've departed. With one final nod to the burly professor and a mocking salute to the general, Aaron clambered into the cockpit and the Bullhead slowly rose from the ground.

"You can fly this thing right?" Yang asked, holding on to the sides in slight fear of an immediate crash or for the Bullhead to give out from the combined weight of all of its passengers, only being slightly relieved once they were much higher than any of the buildings in the city.

"Don't worry about it Blondie. I got this," the wolf said confidently, but that didn't stop any of them from holding onto anything so they don't fall. Aaron pushed the throttle forward slightly and they began to leave Vale to the other students. The wolf laughed at the nostalgic feeling of being the one flying the Bullhead instead of simply riding it, causing a little bit of confusion in his passengers. "I was part of the White Fang once. Flying Bullheads from point A to point B in the fastest way possible was my job. I can fly these things better and faster than anyone in the military. So hold on to something, I'm going to try and cut our travel time by twenty minutes."

"You were…" Blake began but lost whatever she wanted to say. The wolf had a nostalgic smile on his face as if he was actually proud of being part of whatever the organization had become. Aaron let his left hand come loose off the controls and rolled his right sleeve up to his shoulder, revealing a mark of the White Fang branded on to his upper arm.

"I needed money, so I stole from the White Fang. They found out and put this on me," he further explained, still with a proud smile on his face. He rolled the sleeve back down after the Team RWBY and the professor had a good look at it. He placed his left hand back on the controls, allowing him better control should he need it to maneuver around a Nevermore or two. "Well, I shouldn't have to say it, but I got kicked out afterwards. A few weeks after that, the dragon there found me and brought me to the academy, to start my new life as a Hunter-in-training."

He frowned at the landscape and horizon ahead, finding nothing but clear skies, whereas he expected the ones that were flying above the city before to at least be circling the ruined mountain. Though the possibility of the Nevermores being scared away by the explosion was something he couldn't disregard, which also meant that they would eventually come back. The only two questions up in the air now were how much time did they have before the Nevermores come back, and whether or not Ash was still alive, despite being in the epicenter of an explosion that destroyed a mountain. And if he somehow was still alive, how much time did they have to save him?

Behind him, Team RWBY was conversing amongst themselves, with Weiss participating only very so often. They spoke in whispers, forcing the others to wonder exactly what the team of girls was talking about so secretively, that they couldn't trust them, their friends and professors, with. Blake shook her head furiously and Yang and Ruby stepped down to respect their friend's decision. Weiss, out of the conversation the earliest, focused her attention towards whatever part of Vale was visible to her, wondering if the students and professors were successful in keeping the military busy, which would explain why there were no Bullheads or warships chasing after them.

Lava, on the other hand, was wondering something different: what would they find once they get to Mountain Glenn? Would they find her brother sitting on top of the rubble, smiling, waiting for them to come pick him up? Unlikely. Would they find him, dead, crushed under large boulders, turned into nothing more than paste, splattered onto the floor? She didn't know. Would they even find him? She hated to admit it, but it was unlikely. There was only one question that she didn't have an answer to, not even a single hint for her: Can they save him?

No one pursued what Team RWBY was talking about, allowing them to keep their secrets like they did with Ash's wings. So, for the next half hour, until they were over Mountain Glenn, no one spoke, either refusing to be distracted from their original goal, or simply were stumped, not knowing what to say to anyone. Striking a simple conversation was difficult, even saying something along the lines of 'We survived' seemed to be an insult. What they would've gave for a break from the atmosphere. It almost didn't seem fair that the other students had a chance to celebrate while they hadn't, always fighting even though their sacrifice had already lead the Grimm far away.

Mountain Glenn was barely recognizable anymore. The greenery at the base of the mountain was now destroyed or covered in rocks and large boulders, discouraging everything, including the Grimm, from getting closer. Aaron had the Bullhead hover over whatever part of the city ruins they could see and looked around, trying to find some sort of sign of their friend. However, there wasn't anything that stood out, only rocks and buildings. It seemed that even all traces of the White Fang had been erased, as if to cover up an entire, still yet to be launched, plot, but they looked nonetheless, holding on to the small hope of finding something impossible.

Out of all of them, Weiss was the one that searched the hardest, her heart jumping whenever she'd see the color white, thinking that it may lead them to the White Fang's hideout. But every time as she was about to call out to the rest, it would prove to be something else entirely, smashing whatever hope she managed to get out of it at first, as well as any hope of finding Ash. Lava, with the help of Aiden, looked as well, but without having any concrete item to look for, she may as well be searching for a grain of rice in a vast dessert; nonetheless, she looked. Team RWBY would've told them what to look for, but with the entire place completely leveled, even they had no idea what to look for. Glynda, who's yet to say a thing ever since Team CFVY asked her about Ash, simply lied on the ground, focusing on recovering from her paralyzed state.

For several minutes, they looked at the rubble, their eyes darting to the slightest bit of movement that caught their eye, thinking that it may be a survivor, Ash or a member of the White Fang. Either way, they'd be at least closer to their goal of finding the boy, and they would be able stop three of their passengers from rapidly aging from stress… theoretically anyway.

"Ok, everyone get away from the edges and hold on to something. I'm landing this thing," Aaron announced, giving his passengers a few seconds to do as instructed before the Bullhead's nose tilted and dove towards the ground. The wolf focused his eyes on the ground and pulled the throttle and control wheel back, forcing the Bullhead's gained momentum to deplete ten feet from the ground. "Ok, everyone get out. It's better if you all search on the ground. Those that can't move will stay here. I'll land the Bullhead a little bit north of here. Find him and get to us as fast as you can."

Without saying another word, Team RWBY immediately jumped down and was quick to split up, almost desperately looking for a sign of life. The medic jumped down soon after them, but waited patiently for the rest. Aiden placed Lava on the floor next to Glynda, despite the dragon girl's protests, demanding that he take her with him, wanting to be the one to find her brother or at least be one of the first to know his fate. Aiden and Valora soon jumped down, and began their search for their leader's brother alongside the medic, listening to Lava's voice gradually disappear as the Bullhead pulled away.

Tirelessly, the three of them searched, turning over large boulders in an attempt to find some opening that Ash could've been trapped under, and looking inside the few buildings that hadn't been entirely turned into rubble. Occasionally, they would spot one of the members of Team RWBY either coming out of a ruined building, unsuccessful in their search, or disappearing behind ruins hoping to find something that they all knew wasn't there.

"Why are we here? You all know that no one could've survived that explosion. You're only bringing up hope that will only hurt you," the medic told Valora and Aiden in an almost scolding-like manner. Valora stopped in her tracks and turned towards the medic, forcing him and her partner to stop as well. She had the fiercest look in her eyes, like a wild animal driven by pure anger. She stomped over to the medic and brought her left palm against his right cheek. "What are you doi—"

"You're lucky we're the only ones that heard that!" she yelled as she retracted her hand back to her side, making sure that the medic had his eyes focused on her left hand. While he was distracted, she brought her right hand stinging against his opposite cheek. Aiden would've found the sight humorous, with the short Valora attacking someone at least half a foot taller than her. "We don't know much about him, and our only real attachment to him is our leader, but that doesn't mean we'll let you get away with that. If any of the others heard that, you'll be lucky if they killed you here and now."

Valora turned around and began to walk away, re-starting her search for Ash, not caring that she was leaving her partner behind. Aiden and the medic simply watched the small archer march until she disappeared completely behind some of the ruins. The large teen looked back at the medic, towering over him though showed him a calm and gentle expression, with a hint of a hidden anger.

"She's right you know. There are some things that you just don't say, and there are some things that you just don't say around certain people. Do yourself a favor. Don't open your mouth unless you have something positive to say," Aiden warned him with a small and _friendly_ smile, before he began to walk again, stopping to look back at the medic, still standing in the same spot, trying to take in the warning to heart. Aiden cleared his throat and the medic caught up to him quickly. As they began to walk, Aiden continued his warning. "If we find him, and he ends up not looking too good. Lie. Tell them that he'll make it if we get back quickly, even if you know he won't. Give them some hope."

"Why? Aren't you their friend?" the medic asked, stopping when Aiden stopped. Aiden looked to the north where Aaron said they'd be, wondering if he was either getting an earful from Lava or hugging her, telling her that everything will be ok.

"If it's like that, then it'll be easier for them to recover from it," he replied, closing his large hands into tight fists that forced his knuckles to pop. He didn't want to admit it, but he knew that the medic was right. The possibility of anything surviving the blast was slim, even if they were a distance away, the whole mountain collapsed. "It'll take them some time, but his death will be easier to accept."

"What happened exactly?" Aiden and the medic began to walk again, barely searching for Ash, searching for the others instead. Aiden took a breath and began to recount exactly what happened before the Atlas military arrived.

* * *

Weiss held back a groan in pain as she pulled another part of a ruined building aside, cutting her hand from the sharp, dilapidated edges of the stone. She looked at her hands and found them in the worst state they've ever been. Small cuts ran across her palms, and the color of rust was embedded onto her fingers, as she was forced to pull a few similar stone ruins by the rusted metal sticking out of them. Two down sides about Aura is that even the smallest wounds take some time to heal if they were ceaselessly re-opened by constantly pulling on sharp stones and by no means does it protect anyone against staining.

Like all the other times she'd pulled a stone rock aside, she was disappointed when she found nothing. Weiss looked around once again, trying to remember the scenery around the entrance to the White Fang hideout, to no avail as everything seemed to look the same when they were nothing more than piles of rocks and rubble. She would use her semblance to try and clear the surrounding area, but the recent fight had left her, and without a doubt everyone else, drained of Aura as if. Should the Grimm come back and they found themselves with no Aura to speak of, then Glynda, Lava, and Aaron have to find Ash themselves or give up all together. She thought back to her last words with the male dragon and his promise to give back the gloves that she currently wished she still had, and that she never wanted back in the first place.

"Where are you, you idiotic dragon!?" she screamed as loud as she could out of pure frustration, listening to her own voice echo throughout the sky, but strangely, it also reverberated over to the side, echoing much louder than the sky. She moved towards where she heard the strange echo and found a small hole in the ground, only big enough for her to stick one of her legs through. "Ash! Can you hear me!?"

Weiss got down on her hands and knees and tried to look inside, but found only darkness staring back at her. A small light of hope burned in her chest as she quickly pulled out her scroll and called every single one of her teammates, starting with Blake. All three quickly picked up and Weiss practically screamed into her scroll.

"Look for my semblance!" the heiress pulled Myrtenaster from her hip and pointed it straight into the sky. A blazing red glyph appeared from the tip of the rapier and sent out four streams of fire high into the sky, all four almost glowing against the cloudy sky.

Fortunately she didn't have to wait for too long, as her team soon burst out of the ruins, with Yang running with the two members of Team LAVA and the Atlesian medic behind her. Weiss stabbed her weapon into the ground a few feet from the hole and created a large glyph, dark purple in color, with the small hole in the direct center. As her team reached the edge of the glyph, the ground caved in as the gravity within the glyph tripled in intensity, unfortunately making Weiss a victim as well. Before the heiress could fall to her death, Blake threw Gambol Shroud to the other side of the newly made large hole, towards her partner. Yang caught it and both immediately braced themselves, feeling the ribbon gain new weight as the heiress grabbed hold of it and held on for dear life.

When she was stable enough, Weiss created a glyph underneath her feet and let the ribbon go, immediately making the glyph descend into the dark cavern. The remaining six people jumped down after her and almost all of them pulled out their scrolls, using the light they provided to see. Only Blake was able to see in the dark, but pulled out her scroll anyway to mask the fact. The first thing they were able to see was Weiss, holding up her scroll like them for light, spinning around slowly as she took in their new surroundings.

Everything had already been destroyed, leaving nothing but rubble and destruction in its place, but she almost immediately recognized it as the substation that once served as the White Fang's hideout. They all looked around and found the place littered with corpses, recognizable as the members of the White Fang with the bloodied white shirts and signature masks still attached to them. They could only guess just how many more were paste under the ruins. There were shards of wooden crates all over the ground and rubble, giving them an idea of what exactly happened to cause the giant explosion that shook the world for ten to fifteen minutes straight. All signs of life had seemed to be extinguished from the area, even the supposed invincible Paladins lay in nothing more than pieces of metal and frayed wires.

Once more, no one wanted to admit it, but the possibility of finding their friend in the middle of all of this seemed to grow more and more impossible. The large cave system seemed to grow the more they searched, or perhaps it was more of the fact that they were now running low on energy, especially Team RWBY who'd been fighting far more than anyone else for the day, but when they spotted a lone Paladin, practically kneeling down as it propped itself up with its right arm, with what seemed to be fresh blood running down one of its legs, a small hope gave them more energy than they'd ever felt before.

Yang was the first to get to it, inspecting the amount of damage to it and looked at the back, finding the hatch missing and the back of the operator's chair with a figure sitting down on it, head down. As she climbed on the Paladin, the others joined her, a few steps back to give the brawler some room to work. Yang pulled the chair, forcing it to turn around with the figure falling on top of her and knocking her on the ground.

Yang pushed him off of her, but Weiss quickly kneeled down next to her and caught Ash, not allowing his bare body to ever hit the ground. Yang sat up and first examined her clothing, slightly damp from the blood that was now on her from her mistake. Her eyes then panned to the person that the blood belonged to. His back was the only thing visible to her as Weiss held him close, almost crying in either despair or relief. His back was completely drenched with his own blood, still dripping from the numerous wounds that littered his back; even his wings weren't spared, now dark crimson than its natural color of pure black.

His jeans were more or less safe from the his blood, perhaps due to the fact that he was sitting down on a chair, more leaned back than straight. His hair was dirty, yes, but no one could've blamed him for it with his current location. Weiss lightly shook him, whispering for him to wake up, but he didn't even stir. Out of fear, she placed her ear against her chest, not caring that her pale white skin, snow-white hair, and white and blue clothing were now collecting a tint of red from her friend. She could hear a faint heart beat, beating ever so slowly behind the loud beating of her own heart. It gave her a small relief, but it turned to dread when it skipped a beat, beat gain, then waited a few seconds before it began to beat again slower than ever. She could form words from her panic, but soon found the Atlesian medic kneeling next to her.

"He's losing too much blood," he told them all as he placed his medical kit on the ground next to them and counted the number of items he still had in there after tending to the wounded back in Vale. He clicked his tongue in frustration as he immediately recognized a problem. He took a breath and spoke. "There's not enough gauze to cover his entire body, nor do we have the time to apply them even if I did have enough. His only hope now is if we can get him to a hospital in the next half hour, and even then his chance of survival is too close to zero."

"So what!? You're telling us to just leave him here?" Yang asked, clearly angry as her semblance kicked in, lighting her hair ablaze and turning her eyes pure crimson.

"No, you can still go to the funer—" he began to say, but was interrupted when a bright white glyph appeared on the ground around Weiss and Ash, turning the air around them far colder than it should ever be, then it turned colder, and colder, until the medic had to scramble away to ensure his safety.

Frost began to grow on the ground, and soon it began to grow on the two teens' bodies. The blood on Ash's body slowly began to freeze, the ice making its way to the wounds. Blood red icicles began to form from Ash's wounds, blocking the blood flow. His lips began to turn blue like his skin would've if it weren't for the coating of frozen blood around his body. His body began to shiver, but due to his decision to over tax his body as well as the already weakened state his body was in, it was only a series of light shivers. Weiss on the other hand was full on shivering, dropping to the ground next to Ash, curled up into a ball, her arms around her body to generate whatever amount of heat she possibly could. Her pale skin turned light blue in color and her lips turned to an even darker shade. She looked like she was suffering, while Ash, on the other hand, was not.

"You reckless little girl!" the medic yelled as he made his way to the two, dragging the others within arm's reach along with him. He pushed them around the girl, hoping that they get the message, while he pulled Ash further to side to inspect him further. The other teens gathered around Weiss, trying to warm her up. Yang provided the most heat, using her semblance to force her hair to burn even hotter. "Trying to save someone is one thing, giving yourself and the other hypothermia in a foolish attempt at being the hero is something completely different… But you may have just saved his life. Keep warming that idiot up, but we have to go. Her equally idiotic boyfriend now has an hour or two to live without proper medical aid."

It was difficult to get out of a giant hole in the ground with two incapacitated people, especially since one of them was heavily injured and too much force would destroy the icicles that kept him alive, but they managed. Aiden carried Ash, while Yang carried Weiss, all of them running due north to find the Bullhead. When they finally did, it was quite a task to stop Lava and Glynda from pestering them with questions about what happened. Aaron focused on piloting the Bullhead and soon they were airborne, flying towards Vale faster than any Bullhead had gone before. Inside the Bullhead, Weiss and Ash were placed next to each other, unknowingly holding each other's hand for what little warmth they could get.


	40. Then Say It Properly

When Weiss opened her eyes again, she found herself in a blindingly white room with the disgusting smell of medicine in the cold air. She opened her eyes to the white tiled ceiling with three lights in the middle of it, evenly spaced out to ensure that the room was completely illuminated, leaving no shadows in the farthest corners, and momentarily blinding Weiss. There was a curtain to her left, hiding what she assumed to be a second bed in the room, and coming from its direction was the sound of constant beeping, which she found rather strange, considering she wasn't attached to anything. A part of her wanted to call out, to strike a conversation, to ask what happened to her, to ask why she was at a hospital, but considering the deafening silence, the person is more than likely asleep. To her left, the door to the room was sealed shut, barely allowing air to flow through the tiny cracks of the door.

Weiss was shivering even under the thick white blanket around her, discouraging her from getting out of the bed like she'd originally planned. In an attempt to get even warmer, she wrapped her arms around her, but immediately retracted when her hands felt as cold as icicles even through her clothes. She could only grab on to the blanket, clutching it with every bit of strength she had thinking that it would warm her body faster than anything else. Then she remembered Vale, Mountain Glenn, and Ash. She sat up quickly and practically threw the blanket on to the ground, ignoring her body's complaints. Her muscles seemed to have stiffened last she was awake, which really wasn't much of a surprise since she placed herself and Ash in a hypothermic state in an attempt to save the boy… or at least deny the Grimm and the White Fang of being the one to kill him.

All she was able to do was get her feet on the ground and push herself off the bed, before her legs gave out underneath her. Her whole body hurt, but her legs somehow hurt the most. She fell to her hands and knees in silent frustration, reaching back with her right hand to massage her legs, but pulled back when even her fingertips chilled her calves to the bone. A thought came to mind: if the self-induced hypothermia had affected her this much, how much has it affected the heavily wounded Ash Valentine?

The door opened and her team walked in with Team JNPR in tow. Ruby was the first to react, running to Weiss and ripped the blanket from the bed to cover Weiss with it. As she wrapped the blanket around her partner, Ruby wrapped her hands around Weiss, trying her best to stop her from shivering. Yang was next to the two soon after, and with the sisters' help, Weiss was once again lying down on the bed with the blanket around her.

"Hey, don't push yourself so hard. You froze your body a little too much back at Mountain Glenn, Ice Queen," Yang said in a caring tone, much like Winter – much like a sister – would. If it weren't for the nickname, Weiss would've actually thought of the blonde as Winter herself. Jaune soon left the room without saying a single word, but wasn't contested by anyone. "We actually had to thaw both you and Ash. Frostbite isn't even the word to describe it. It was more like… what's that sleep freezing thing?"

"Cryostasis. Don't listen to her. You should already know that she likes to exaggerate things," Blake quickly interjected, silencing her partner. Yang glared at her for a moment, before giving up and simply shook her head at the cat Faunus, slightly disappointed that she wouldn't be able to play for a little while longer, though relented. "But she wasn't kidding when she said the two of you had to be thawed, Ash especially."

"A-Ash. Where is h-he?" the heiress asked, pushing through her body's shivering and her chattering teeth. Pyrrha moved around her bed and pulled the curtain aside, giving Weiss sight of Ash, lying down on the bed adjacent to hers. He was peacefully asleep, as if stuck in a dreamless state, completely covered with a blanket, thinner than the one on her, save for his head and his bare right hand and forearm. There were two lines connecting the back of his hand to the complex machines to his right, two needles in his hand, possibly two anchors to life, as well as three leads coming from further inside the blanket. "How is he? Is he a-all right?"

"He's fine, for now. Or at the very least, he's stable," Pyrrha answered, stepping towards the monitors attached to the boy and inspected them carefully for any changes. She was quiet for a moment, before turning to the rest with a smile. "According to what we've heard, he's here, now, thanks to you. He would've bled out a long time ago if it weren't for you."

"And as much as I don't want to be the one to do it, it's time for the bad news," Yang said solemnly. She had a downcast expression on her face that seemed to have been transferred to the rest as they refused to meet eyes with each other, and especially refused to meet eyes with Weiss. "He's alive right now, but we should've known we couldn't save him from everything. He's already gone through the blood transfusion and the stitching for his wounds, but there's no telling how long he'll be like this. It's like he gave up, like he accepted that he would die at Mountain Glenn."

"Where's Lava? And Miss Goodwitch?" Ruby pointed out the door, towards what Weiss assumed to be either the hospital's waiting room or another room. Jaune came back and handed Weiss a small cup of steaming hot coffee. She took it and smiled at the boy in gratitude, but placed the cup on a nearby white bedside table. She turned back to Ash and just stared at him for a moment. She got up with the assistance of Ruby and together they made their way to Ash's bedside. "He doesn't like sleeping with a blanket on. R-Ruby, help me take it off of him."

"Weiss, that's not a very good idea," Ruby replied, placing her hand on top of her partner's outstretched hand, already trying to remove the blanket on Ash. Weiss looked to her partner, her eyes asking her, begging her for the reason why. Ruby thought for a second and released Weiss' hand, accepting that she couldn't stop her. Weiss slowly took the blanket off, revealing more of Ash's body. "There was too much blood for us to see anything clearly before. They said it was a miracle that he was even alive for so long."

Ash had dark red lines all over his chest and abdomen, and Weiss could only assume that more littered his back. Most of them have been stitched up, leaving numerous black threads in intersecting patterns over what should've been fatal wounds. There were black marks on his body, around his wounds, telling her that his Aura has yet to recover enough to repair the skin cells she's killed by frostbite. The three lines that were hidden deeper inside the blanket before, were now in the open, attached to small, circular, sponge-like objects sticking to Ash's chest and abdomen, all carefully placed to avoid his wounds.

Weiss reached out and touched the largest wound, a single, long line, almost stretching from his left shoulder all the way to the right side of his waist. She expected him to open his eyes and scream in pain, shouting at her, asking what she was thinking, or at the very least, make a pained expression, but he did neither. He remained as still as a statue, the only indication that he felt her touch was the machine monitoring his heart rate began to beep faster in tune to his heart beat. Frustrated, Weiss pressed harder on the wound, but once more, Ash gave no physical response to her touch, only having her listen to the machine continue to beep faster and faster the harder she pressed. Eventually, Ruby pried her partner away from the dragon and Pyrrha pressed a button on one of the machines, applying an extra dose of analgesia, pain relief, to Ash's IV pump, periodically slowing his heart beat.

Weiss began to cry as Ruby lead her back to her bed. They may have found him at the ruins of Mountain Glenn, but did they save him at all? Everything they've done from then to now, was it all just postponing the dragon's death, a time that he won't even get to enjoy? She didn't know the answer to these questions, even though she wished she did, even if the answer was the one she didn't want. Then she remembered that it wasn't the first time she'd felt so useless, that everything she did had been pointless, a waste of energy. The nightmares she suffered for the past week had put her in the same situation, the same feeling. Only, no matter how horrible the dream may be, every time she woke up, there was always a feeling of relief cause she'd know that it had only been a nightmare. Now, she suffered the feeling again, and there was no relief, not until Ash wakes up and proves the doctors all wrong… or until he fully gives up and the machine that let out the constant and annoying beeping, ceased and only gave a single, never-ending beep.

She didn't know how Glynda and Lava were faring, especially since they were completely aware of Ash's condition the entire time whereas she was not. Were they like Weiss, already thinking of the worst possible situation for the male dragon? Or perhaps they've already accepted his current condition and were hoping for the best. And if the time came, would they accept his death? Would she? She didn't need to ask to know that everyone wanted the dragon to live for one reason or another, but would he even allow them such a miracle?

Once Weiss was calm enough, she took a sip of the coffee Jaune got for her. She immediately retracted from the drink with a sour expression. It was blistering hot, like she'd always liked, but it was bitter, almost as if she'd just been eating the beans it was made from. She took one look at the cup and found the liquid inside black in color, almost like the thickest tar, the complete opposite of what she would've liked and just the way Ash liked it.

"Sorry, guess I forgot to ask how you liked your coffee," Jaune immediately asked, slightly embarrassed and disappointed with himself. He'd only acted on impulse when he went out to get the drink, and had no choice but to guess. He couldn't justify why he'd gone with what he brought, other than a pure guess.

"It's fine, Jaune. It's just as good," the heiress said with small smile. It was obvious to everyone, even Weiss herself, that the statement was a complete lie. She took another sip of the drink and forced back a flinch of disgust, forcing herself to drink more. She didn't know why such a bitter drink was pleasant to Ash and others, but to her, without at the very least two cubes of sugar it was revolting. That's why it slightly confused her why she found it comforting now. "What's going to happen to him now? Is he just going to stay here, asleep, for an unknown amount of time?"

"We made a deal with the Atlas military," Jaune explained with a large smile on his face, obviously proud of his accomplishment, and by the looks of it, so were everyone else. Weiss looked at him expectantly, and watched him make sure that the door was sealed shut and locked before turning back to her. In a quieter voice, he continued. "In exchange for keeping our mouths shut about the military's _participation_ in the incident, they have to pay for Ash's hospital bills until he recovers, no matter how expensive it becomes. We explained it to everyone and they agreed to the conditions, but we will have to explain why he was here fighting with everyone."

Weiss had always revered the Atlas military from Winter's recounts of their bravery and timely rescues, but now it's something she didn't want to remember or acknowledge for a long while. The largest and most powerful army in all of Remnant, tasked to come to the aid of any of the four kingdoms against the Grimm and others that mean them harm, though coincidentally governed by the Council, a group of senile old men hungry for more power than they could ever handle. If it weren't for their sloth, then Ash wouldn't have felt the need to act as the martyr, he wouldn't be in such a position. But now, Ash lay like a corpse with his consciousness drifting somewhere in a different part of the world, trying to make it back to its host body, and the Atlas military is clutched within the grasp of teenagers.

She could almost imagine the world's overall expression should they find out about the military's blunder in the situation. The kingdom of Atlas would lose all its credibility and allies, especially Vale. It'd be left to defend for itself from the Grimm if the other kingdoms don't decide to call for war. How would it affect her family? Would her father somehow convince the other kingdoms of their innocence, or would it be more likely if he sided with the military? How would Weiss herself be affected? She fought for Vale, yes, but would it be enough? Would she go back to her family despite the animosity? Would she even care?

Her teammates and Team JNPR spent the next hour bringing Weiss up to speed with what's occurred since she was last awake. The incident, everyone is now calling the Breach, was being called the best example of Hunter and Huntress competence in a very long time and will be the event that future generations will look up to in their own times. However, due to the deal made with the military, a little bit of the story will be disregarded, including the sacrifice of one dragon. Though forevermore, he will be the unsung hero of the event, only told by those who had actually fought in the Breach. Half of the their Atlas reinforcements went back to Atlas while the other half stayed behind to secure and hopefully close the tunnel, this time for good. Glynda and Lava had already recovered from Ash's paralyze, but continued to stay near motionless, and were now in the waiting room, not wanting to see the state Ash was currently in.

Roman Torchwick and whatever remaining White Fang activists managed to escape before the train exploded and broke into Vale remained missing, to which everyone can assume that they managed to escape, another part of the story that will be left untold. The huge explosion that caused Mountain Glenn to collapse will be blamed solely on the White Fang, much to Blake's disapproval and any part of it that had any non-White Fang interference, as well, will be left out in the final reports. Needless to say, none of them liked the idea that the mastermind of the entire thing managed to get away, while their friend lay hospitalized, unable to wake up.

On brighter news, every single person who'd participated in the Breach will get full credits on their team mission assignment, no matter how poorly they inevitably did on their actual one, or if they haven't even gone on theirs as of yet. On top of that, classes will be postponed until the mess with the Atlas military has been dealt with, and the tunnel, forever sealed. Though with the sheer amount of negatives, 'brighter news' wasn't so bright. Soon they all left Weiss to continue resting with Ruby being the last one to leave the room, but before she could, Weiss called out.

"Ruby wait," though slightly confused to the heiress' request, Ruby relented and closed the door once everyone else has left and made her way to her partner's temporary bed. "It isn't much of an emergency, but where are Ash's gloves?"

"I don't know if you'd want them right now," she replied as she took out the pair out of her pocket. Now that some time has passed and the coating wasn't being renewed every passing moment, dried blood had utterly stained the entire thing and was crusty to the touch, cracking every time a glove was gripped a little too tightly. Nevertheless, Ruby handed the pair to Weiss and the heiress inspected it closely. She held them against her chest and hugged it close, able to even smell the blood. "I was planning on washing them when we get back to Beacon then give them to you, but you woke up too quick. What are you going to do with them?"

"I don't know. I was thinking on waiting for him to wake up then ask him what he wanted to do," the two of them looked to the person in question, momentarily watching his chest rise then fall almost painfully as he breathed. It was possible that some of the newly stitched wounds could be causing him pain simply by breathing alone, but without any proper indication there was no way to make sure. "Is it alright if you could ask the faculty if I could stay here with him, at least for the night? If he wakes up later, I want to be there."

"Sure, no problem," Ruby left soon after one final wave goodbye to Weiss, but as she exited, she waited in shock and wonder for one moment. She stepped to the side and Ren entered with his usual stoic expression, both happy and calm in the most passive way possible.

"I'll be out in a moment Ruby. I just need to speak to Weiss," with one final nod, Ruby exited, closing the door behind her to give Weiss and Ren some privacy. Ren listened to Ruby's footsteps go further away before he spoke again. He looked to Ash before turning to Weiss with a resolute expression. "There's something you should know. He told us not tell anyone, but at this point you have an even stronger reason to know than for us to hide it. When you guys left for Mountain Glenn, Ash fought Pyrrha and the winner could ask the other anything. Ash wished for us to forget him, to pretend that we had never met, to pretend that he had never even existed."

"Are you saying that it has something to do with me?" Weiss asked almost accusingly, glaring at the green clad boy as best she could despite the shock that came with his revelation. She couldn't think of any reason for Ash to wish for such a thing, especially when she was able to easily see fear in his eyes by just the thought of dying. Being forgotten by everyone seemed to be a step or two further. "Lie Ren, are you accusing me of being the one who gave him such a preposterous desire? What makes you so sure that he was even being serious?"

"Because you don't fight to the death if you don't really want something," Ren explained immediately after. He glared at her, as if he was challenging her to prove his reasoning wrong, fully knowing that Weiss couldn't do such a thing. He looked towards Ash while Weiss just looked away. Ren let out a sigh and turned back to Weiss after a few suffocating moments of silence. "I'm not accusing you of anything. I'm just letting you know what happened because you're the only one who can change his mind on anything."

"'Change his mind?'" Weiss echoed, not sure if anyone could convince someone else to let go of a desire so easily especially, according to Ren, something that they're willing to die for. "What would I change his mind about? Wanting to be forgo—"

"Weiss, he won. He challenged Pyrrha to a duel with the only rule being it would only end when one of them says 'I give up,'" the boy interrupted, successfully silencing the heiress. The thought of Ash going up against the Mistral Champion had crossed her mind before, but how it would end is another story, now if only it mattered; what's done is done, Ash had won. "Pyrrha would've won if they were fighting with normal rules, but even after Ash's Aura was gone, he fought her just as hard. That clean horizontal cut on his stomach almost killed him."

"So what happens with the deal now?" there was slight fear evident in her voice. She wasn't sure what to think. If Ash were able to defeat Pyrrha, then it wouldn't be impossible for him to defeat them all, possibly even have them take up the same deal.

"Nothing. He told us to forget about the deal. He said it was a sort of test at first, but he found some use for it later," the reply brought some relief to Weiss, but the last part worried her. What sort of use was he referring to? By the slightly confused look on Ren's face, she could tell that even he didn't know. "One more thing. You asked me what would you change his mind about. He made another deal, this one with Professor Ozpin. In three months, he'll come back to Beacon, where Professor Ozpin would already have a Bullhead ready to take him to Menagerie."

"None of you tried to stop him!?" Ren almost recoiled at the heiress' voice, completely disregarding the fact that she was sharing the room with someone else. The two of them looked over to Ash fearing that his needed slumber would be disturbed by her sudden outburst, but he hadn't even moved a muscle. "All of you were there, why couldn't you convince him? Miss Goodwitch, Lava, what about them? Why didn't you ask them? I'm sure, one of them could've done something."

"Would I be telling you something like this if any of us were able to do it?" Ren challenged once more, his voice very nearly crossing the line between simply speaking and shouting. It was the first time Weiss had witnessed Ren lose the cool composure he'd been famous for, and it was definitely alarming. She knew that they tried, anyone could tell that, but she refused to believe that all six of them failed. "He'll listen to you. Only you can convince him to stay… that is if you do want him to stay. Just think about it."

Ren left with one final get well, leaving Weiss to do as he asked and think about what he'd said. Ash was leaving for Menagerie, and perhaps this time it's for good, and if it is, then what could she do about it? He was free to choose how he lives his life, where to go, whom to interact with, and a lot more, which is why she found it strange that she had to fight to convince herself that it was ok, and fight against the ethereal being squeezing her heart. He wasn't her servant anymore, therefore he had no obligation to stay be her side like he'd promised the day she released him from the shackles of the whole Schnee family and made him her servant alone.

For a few minutes, she simply lied down staring up at the ceiling as if it was the most interesting thing in all of Remnant, thinking about how to handle the situation presented to her. She could feel the warmth the blanket provided coursing through her chilled body, almost lulling her to sleep. She listened to the constant beeping of the heart monitor to her left, counting each beep until she reached 100 before starting over again.

She looked over to Ash again and inspected his scars, both new and old. Many of them she didn't know how he got them, recognizing the palest scars as the wounds she bore witness to. Then she found herself looking at his right hand, dominated a large scar if only she could see through the numerous wires attached to him. She remembered how he got them, how she could've prevented him from getting them, from losing his mother, but didn't. She remembered his father, his village, and then his mother. She remembered her warm smile, and angelic glow. Then, before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.

* * *

Ash opened his eyes to see the open blue sky lay out in front of him, and as he looked in an attempt to determine where he was, he found himself floating well above the clouds, but also found clouds further above him. He looked behind him, expecting to find his wings like most of his dreams of the sky turned out to be, but they weren't there, only more open air. He tried to right himself, but as he tried, it seemed that the world turned along with him, keeping him in the same lying position as he floated in air. He tried to call out but his voice didn't work. Realizing that he was unable to do anything, he closed his eyes and simply felt the wind whistle in his ears and blow through his entire being.

"State your name," he heard a voice, his voice, ring out through the imaginary sky. He opened his eyes and suddenly the sky was tinted orange even though the sun or any celestial body was present in the scene. Ash looked around trying to find the source of the voice and found two figures next to him: both of them him. One was a teenager, dressed in a formal suit as if he still worked for the Schnee family, while the other was his five-year-old self, dressed in ratty clothing, all caked in mud, dirt, and snow with black bat-like wings, a little bit taller than him, protruding from his back. "I will ask you again. Who are you?"

"My name is A-h Valentine," the teenager to his side replied in a calm and passive tone. The disembodied voice chuckled before a figure appeared before the three of them. Yet another version of himself, this one bathed in a blue light and in similar appearance of the wingless teenager.

"I am V-r-s Valentine," the five year old said soon after, and once more, a small laugh emanated from everywhere, a laugh that his five-year-old self had. Another figure appeared, this one in similar shape and size to the five year old but dark red in color.

"Now, you in the middle, who are you?" all four said, their voices echoing in the nothingness. The situation didn't make sense to Ash whatsoever, even for a dream, this one was a strange one. He recognized every single other person as himself, but there was one thing he didn't know.

"I don't understand what's going on," he told them honestly, only receiving a laugh from all four as a response. Their laughs echoed in the sky and when he blinked, the figures next to him were now at the opposite sides of him, next to their corresponding figure painted in a different color. All four smiled at him, as if finding his dilemma the most amusing thing in the whole world. "You're all me, right? Why do I need to introduce myself to me?"

"Only you can answer that, because while we are the same, V-r-s and I are different," the teen not drenched in blue said as he motioned to himself and the five year old that was once next to him. The aforementioned five year old spread his wings and flew around all of them, creating large gust of winds that slammed against all of them. After a minute, the five year old steadied his wings and floated back next to the other three. "But if you insist, we'll move on for now and come back to that question later."

"What do you want the most in the world?" the one teenager painted blue continued his interrogation. Once more, his voice echoed in the sky with a disinterest and monotone voice, but at the same struck with amusement at Ash's expression. Ash closed his eyes in thought while the figure kept talking. "Do you desire power, power to protect your friends and family? Do you desire wings, wings that never fail to comfort you when the world is against you? Do you desire adventure, a never-ending adventure full of trials and glorious triumph? Or perhaps you desire love, love which you know you cannot have?"

"I want to be by her side," he heard three voices say: his own, the teenager's, and the child. There was happiness in their voices, longing, as if they wanted something lost a long time ago. The image of Weiss passed through his mind, smiling ever so sweetly at him, with snow-white skin and sparkling blue eyes. The very image he saw when he first knew that he'd fallen for her. "I want nothing more than to stay by her side, even if I am nothing more than a servant to her. I want to ensure her happiness in any way I can."

"You're quite the romantic aren't you? But also so much like a child," all four other beings laughed at the shameless confession while Ash just smiled through it all, keeping the image of Weiss in his head just a moment longer. He wouldn't know it, but in the outside world Weiss hovered above him with the most confused expression, wondering what he was dreaming about that made him smile even in his sleep. When he heard speaking again, it was only one voice now, the voice of his five-year-old self. "You are a shield. You were meant to protect her even if you die in the end. That is your only reason."

"No, it's not. I'm more than just her shield, I'm her friend," Ash alone said, but received no immediate rebuttal from the other four; instead they only smiled at him even though they knew he couldn't see them. It was a response anyone would expect from a child, one obsessed with fairy tales. "I promised to always be there for her. Or maybe I should be saying 'we.' That promise was made the first time we saw her that one night in the sky when we were five years old."

The two five year old's, both the normal dirty looking kid that he remembered being and the one clad in deep red, floated towards him without flapping their wings once. Once all three were face to face, the two winged children placed a hand on each of Ash's shoulders and smiled before they turned into mist that gathered towards his form and seemed to have been absorbed within him. When the mist had completely dissipated, a familiar weight appeared on his back. He looked back and found a pair of large bat like wings on his back. When he tried to move them, they complied, stretching outward until they were fully extended, allowing him to inspect them further.

The pair extended at least two yards in length and he could guess that if he closed them, the tips would be at least a foot above his head. But everything was normal for a dragon his age and size. The only strange trait that the wings had was the fact that it was silver in color instead of the raven black that most dragons had and that he started with. Different or not, he felt two something he hadn't felt for a very long time: the little feeling of freedom that comes with having a sure way to get away from any situation and the pride of being a dragon.

"You want to stay by her side, to make her smile, to ensure that she never falls in to despair, to protect her from everything that means to do her harm. What is it that you need?" the blue tinted teenager asked while the Ash that served to remind him of his position as Weiss' butler moved forward until he was in the middle. Ash could only smile at the question. It was one that he'd asked himself years before, which led to the development of his fighting style: never the same, always changing, adapting. "You need power. Enough power to destroy everything against, even the world. Or perhaps you need courage. Face your opponents before they can get the chance to harm her, or lead them away so that she may live."

"I don't need any more of those things," he replied as he folded his newly acquired wings. He'd always been led by things he'd heard as a child: that he lived for someone else, that he was a shield, that being the hero is the best title one could ever have. But as he breathed slowly he decided for his own. He held out his hand for the butler in the middle to take and spoke. "With the friends I have now, I can grow stronger on my own pace. In time, I will be able to fight Grimm by her side as more than a mere burden. As for courage, as long as they're all with me, there's no task in Remnant that will ever be impossible."

With one final brief moment of laughter, the butler glared at Ash intently and he returned it with similar intensity. The butler flew straight towards Ash, fast and reeled his right fist back as far as it'll go. Ash did the same and both threw it at the other at the same time. The two fists collided and both recoiled from the force generated, very nearly blown back, but with some unknown force, the two kept their fist together despite their right arms going numb. The butler began to glow white, starting from his line until his irises began to change in color to match the glowing, even his mouth emitted a near blinding white light when he spoke.

"Don't make her cry again," the butler said with a warm smile before he, like the two five year olds, turned into a white mist that gathered around Ash's form and was absorbed. He immediately felt warmer, and his numb right arm was back to normal.

"I can't promise you that, but I will try my damned best. That I can promise," Ash replied, pulling his extended fist back to his chest and clutching it against his chest, as if it was a long lost friend. He could almost feel the three he'd absorbed in his chest, giving him their strength to take on whatever challenge that was presented to him. Ash let his hands go back to his sides before glaring at the final figure in the sky with him. "You're the last one. And I assume, you have one final question."

"None that you have yet to hear," the blue tinted teenager replied, his voice a lot more calm and les accusing. However, the figure began to develop a thin layer of red smoke swirling around him, made so much more evident by the original blue glow surrounding his body. The smoke seemed to make his glowing figure so much more chaotic than anything else in the dream, but it didn't seem to be bothering him. "The final question you've yet to answer is the first. Who are you?"

"You know the answer to that," Ash flapped his wings once in a very long time and used the momentum to make his way to the final figure. The two of them laughed until the two of them were no more than a yard away from each other.

"We knew the answers to the other questions, this one is the only one that you needed to figure out," Ash breathed in for a second and thought, looking for an answer that could satisfy this version of himself, and in the end he found one. A laugh emanated from him as the final figure began to slowly turn in to mist now that Ash had his answer. The sky around them very quickly got rid of the orange glow of the sunset, and was replaced with the starry night sky of Atlas, with the shattered moon high above them. "Good luck. We can't save you from death again, but now you know what to do."

He turned to mist of a mixture of blue and red, swirling towards Ash's chest as if entering it through the small pores of his body. Ash himself felt energized, as a prominent layer of smoke began to pour out of his body. He focused it all on his silver wings and extended them. Once they were fully extended, the wings flapped once and the boy was propelled higher in to the sky, climbing even higher until he reached the second layer cloud. Suddenly extending his wings, Ash's momentum was forced into a stop and he simply floated there. Ash breathed in deep and shouted his answer to the void around.

"My name is Ash Valentine! The sky is my kingdom! Where no one is starving! Where no one is suffering! Where everyone is equal! I am a dragon! Here, I am king!"

* * *

When Weiss woke up again, she woke up to a shadow-covered ceiling with the only source of light illuminating the room was the shattered moon outside. It only took her a moment to remember where she was and why she was there, but she immediately threw every thought away when the sound of the mechanical beeping she had fallen asleep to earlier was suddenly no longer there. She ripped the blanket off of her body and stood up, her body no longer racked with uncontrollable shivers and pains from the sensitive, frostbitten skin cells. She nearly ran to the door, but a shadow of a person plastered against it and the wall stopped her and relieved her.

She turned towards the window and found Ash with his bare and scarred back towards her, watching something in the sky like a small child that just found out about the stars. His stumps were barely visible in the darkness, but she could see the pair trying their best to flap and send the dragon high into the sky. In the little bit of moonlight coming in to their shared room, Weiss could see a little bit of Ash's shoulder, littered with goose bumps as cold air was continuously pumped in to the room. Without much thought, she made her way to his bed and picked up the blanket before making her way to him.

"You really shouldn't be out of bed right now. You're still considered injured you know," Weiss said in a soft voice as she draped the blanket over his entire body. He turned to her and stared at her with the most confused expression. She couldn't really tell what was wrong, more worried about his health than his current state of confusion. She tried to lead him back to bed, but he resisted. "What's wrong? Are your stitches bothering you? Should I call the nurse?"

"It's a little uncomfortable but it's fine. Sorry, but who are you ma'am?" Weiss looked at him in the eyes, more confused than him, than she's ever been in her entire life, but more than that she could feel her heart shattering again. For a moment longer the two of them looked at each other for what seemed to be hours. "I can't remember much other than the name 'Vargas.'"

Weiss could form words in reply, leaving her mouth slightly open as questions and thoughts wreaked havoc on her mind. She knew that even with the numerous physical injuries he'd suffered it wouldn't affect his mind, or rather it shouldn't. Her thoughts came to the possibility of a trauma he developed while he was unconscious, but it as well didn't seem exact. She just looked at him, looking for any trace of falsehood but was fruitless since she never even found out what his tell was, for all she knew, she really was staring at an amnesiac patient. Before she could try and speak, to at least answer some of his questions, whether it was an act or not, he continued to speak.

"Excuse me, miss? Are you all right?" he looked at her worriedly and even tried to look around for a possible way to find out what her name is, but came up empty handed. Then his eyes bulged out as if he'd realized something. For a brief moment there, a small glimmer of hope rose up in Weiss' chest, thinking that maybe everything was coming back to him, only to lead in disappointment. "Are you perhaps someone I should know, one of my friends maybe? If so, I'm terribly sorry. I didn't mean to cause you shock."

"It's… you name," Weiss finally found her ability to talk, though the stupefied expression remained on her face. She spoke slowly, as if she was slowly making the sentences without even thinking about it. "Vargas. That's your name, but only your sister, Lava, calls you that. Everyone else calls you 'Ash.' Ash Valentine. I'm Weiss Schnee. I'm your… your… friend."

"I see. Well then Miss Schnee, would it be all right if I asked you to fill me in on what's happened? Or maybe it would be better if I asked you to tell me what I'm supposed to know?" Ash asked calmly, his voice came out of his mouth ever so smoothly as if to be careful not to cause more shock to the heiress than he's already dealt. After a minute, Weiss still wasn't able to say anything complete, tripping on her own words, ending one sentence in the middle of first three words to start a new one. "Miss Schnee, its all right if we take it slowly. I understand this must be quite a shock to you."

"Do you really not remember anything?" Weiss finally managed to ask, her disbelief obvious in the way she spoke, soft and holding on to the thinnest string of hope she could find. Her heart hurt. Earlier she'd thought she lost him to the Grimm, but now she'd lost him in a different way, and honestly, she had no idea what hurt more. "Do you not remember Ruby, Blake, Yang, Team JNPR? Miss Goodwitch? Lava? Do you not remember me?"

"I'm sorry Miss Schnee," he said as he hung his head, staring at his own two feet. She placed her left hand on his right forearm in an attempt to comfort one of them at the very least, as she, as well, put her head down. Moments later, she could feel him shaking, or rather his body seemed to bounce up and down. She looked up and found him looking back at her trying to hide the largest grin she'd ever seen on him. "I'm sorry Miss Schnee, but I can't hold it anymore."

Ash laughed and laughed, taking a step back to place a hand on the wall to steady himself. He continued laughing even though his stitching's hurt and even though the heiress in front of him began to develop tomato red cheeks in pure anger. His laughter echoed in the room, without a doubt, bleeding through the cracks of the door and making its way to the other rooms. Weiss shook in her anger and raised her left hand and delivered it to the most severe of Ash's stitching's, forcing him to try and contain a howl of pain.

"You idiotic, unsympathetic, bastard! How dare you play such a joke on me! Do you know how worried I was!? How much your simple attempt of _needed_ entertainment hurt me!?" Weiss began to yell, bringing a tightly coiled fist down on the many injuries of the dragon at the end of every sentence, and he had the gall to laugh as he blocked her attacks. He could see tears gathering at the corners of her eyes, though wasn't sure if it was from her previous despair, her relief, or her anger causing the drops to appear. "We never should've saved you from Mountain Glenn if this was what you were planning on doing as soon as you woke, after making us all worry like that! We should've—"

Ash interrupted the heiress' rant by catching her hands and bringing them back down to her side, as well as using them to pull her closer before closing his eyes and planting his lips on hers. Weiss immediately stopped trying to fight back, and closed her eyes, melting in to the kiss. He let go of her wrists and she wrapped them around his neck, pulling herself closer to deepen their kiss. She felt the tears that were dammed in the corners of her eyes, flow down her cheek, knowing that the boy in her arms was alive and well, that he was with her once again. When they pulled back, Ash kissed her eyes, kissing away any tears that remained, while she relished the fact that their efforts to save him wasn't for naught.

"Miss Schnee, I believe you said that next we meet, you'd give me a proper answer," he whispered in her ear, as the two of them hugged each other close, feeling the other's heart beat against theirs. Weiss tightened her grip on him, enough to cause him to grunt in pain as her nails clawed past a stitch.

"Then say it properly, you idiot," she whispered back, placing a gently hand on top of the stitch she just clawed. She didn't care if someone walked at that point, if one of their friends came in and took a picture, just as long as she was with him again.

"Weiss Schnee, I love you.

"Ash Valentine, I hate you. I hate you with all my heart and soul."

Weiss pulled back and leaned up to kiss him again. As for Ash, when they were engorged in another soft kiss, a single thought came to his head.

 _Perhaps being hated wasn't so bad after all._


	41. Not Even Going To Say Goodbye

**If You Are Satisfied With Last Chapter Being The End, Then Feel Free To Stop Reading Now. There Are Only A Few More Minor Topics That I Feel The Need To Resolve...**

* * *

It's been three days since the Breach, three days since Weiss and Ash had gotten together, but the days have only gotten more and more chaotic, almost making Ash wish that he were back under the rubble of Mountain, fighting whatever was left of the Grimm. Weiss had been released from the hospital the afternoon Ash woke up and on the same day, Ash was moved to his own room much to his vexation. Ever since then, he'd been subject to several medicals tests including a little bit of rehab to get used to moving around with his stitches until they dissolve. What surprised the doctors is that his left arm was still able to function despite the damage dealt to it and the horrible excuse of bandages used to stop the blood flow and the surprising appearance of bruises on it the morning he woke up surely didn't help. Whether he liked it or not, a cast was put on it until he fully recovers. His Aura hastened his recovery, but Ash was still forced to stay in the hospital so that the doctors could keep an eye on him just in case he needed it, but so far it didn't seem necessary.

For the first two days, his visitors had only consisted of Teams RWBY, JNPR, and LAVA but on the third day, several other teams such as Teams SSSN, CFVY, and even Team NDGO added to his variety of visitors, all bringing a bouquet of flowers or a basket of various fruit until the gifts had become so much that anyone who came late entered the room awkwardly trying to hide the large gift behind their backs in vain. Weiss had already explained to him that all of Beacon now knows his true origins, but there were several parts of his pasts that were left hidden, being deemed too personal for mere public knowledge. Therefore, he felt less awkward when he was kept shirtless due to his scars and stitches; forcing him to show the world the black stumps on his back.

Luckily for him, most were respectful and never asked him to show them his back, the few, namely Coco, had to be showed multiple times and had to be held back from 'inspecting' the pair, multiple times. However, receiving so many visitors and being forced to answer seemingly never-ending questions about his reason for hiding and some about what happened at Mountain Glenn, by noon he was more mentally exhausted than he'd ever been. He wanted nothing more than to get some sleep after talking so much, but refrained from doing so seeing as he still had company.

The room, like all other rooms in the hospital, was blindingly white, from the ceiling tiles, the bed, and even the window curtains, currently pulled to the side to let in as much as sunlight as possible and to give Ash at least some view of the outside to keep him from going insane, but most importantly, spacious enough to hold Ash's constant flow of curious visitors. The few small tables and the window sill were littered with the various bouquets in vases and fruit baskets brought to him by his previous visitors, with a few more bouquets waiting outside the door leaned on the wall, like a memorial to someone who'd been involved in an unfortunate accident. He was sitting on his bed with his back against the raised mattress as comfortably as his healing injuries would let him in nothing more than a pair of black sweat pants. He was still connected to the machines to his right like the first day, even though he protested that they were no longer necessary. In the end, it was Weiss that convince to simply play the obedient patient until he'd fully recovered. Around him were the members of Teams RWBY, JNPR, and Lava strangely enjoying the time they had away from the academy in a boring hospital room. It had been the largest group of visitors the dragon had gotten so far, and they had to wonder if the faculty was getting annoyed at having to bring in more chairs.

Lava was quietly peeling an apple just next to the left of Ash's bed, just barely out of the way of the sunlight from the window alongside Weiss. Nora and Ren were mostly keeping to themselves in a corner, engaged in a, more one-sided, conversation of their own, but paid some attention to the rest. Everyone else were quietly listening to Ash's recollection of what happened at Mountain Glenn after his complaints of needing a break from telling the exact same story so many times before. Every time he told it, he'd always held back some bits of information that weren't significant enough or were too dark to be said; mainly when he'd 'betrayed' and killed one of the activists until he was nothing but red paste.

"So what made you think that blowing up the crates was a good idea?" Jaune asked almost immediately after Ash had finished his story. The dragon hummed in thought, thinking back to the moment he'd made the decision to fire the rocket. After a while, he shook his head, confusing the others, but also giving them some theories. "So what? You just hoped that the Paladin was tough enough to protect you from blast? From the rocks?"

"Actually, I'd confided to the fact, or what I thought at the time as a fact, that I'd die there. The Paladin's armor, especially in its prototype stage isn't as durable as one would think. Be it the Grimm or the falling rocks, something was bound to destroy the armor, it simply was pure luck that the rocks had missed it," he explained still thinking back to the time, trying to remember everything he could muster. As he spoke, the people around him became increasingly aware of just how hopeless he'd thought the situation was, and with right reasoning. To sum up his survival in one word is simple: miracle. "Additionally, while I didn't know what the White Fang were planning with so much Dust, it was easy to guess that it was for no good. If I couldn't destroy the White Fang like I said I would, then I'd at least impede their progress no matter how small."

"Wait when did you say you'd destroy the White Fang?" Blake asked, more curious about the unknown than the fact that he'd practically just threatened the organization she had spent so long defending.

"Right after I destroyed an elevator button back at Beacon," Ash replied nonchalantly while the four members of Team JNPR simply looked away, not wanting to be the one to explain what happened and trying to, once again, forget the dragon's suffocating anger. Seeing that no one would be able to get anything from the four, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, and Lava looked to Ash for an explanation. "It really is of no importance, I've failed in destroying the White Fang and button is now fixed, or at least I hope it is."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hang on a second here, it kind of looks like we're missing a huge part of the story. It's not fair that we're the only ones left out of the dark," Yang quickly argued, glaring at Ash for stimulating her curiosity and leave them at a very disappointing and abrupt end. However, her protests didn't have the support of her friends. Ruby and Blake seemed ready to move on from the topic, while Weiss and Lava ate slices of the apple that Lava was peeling earlier. "What? You guys aren't the least bit curious about this?"

"Not really. He's a boy, he likes to destroy things," Lava said as she waved the small peeling knife around as Weiss handed her another apple to peel. Jaune, Ren, and Ash looked at each other and each took a turn pointing at the other, checking if Lava's accusation. Jaune immediately shook his head, and Ren was too peaceful to destroy anything so he immediately shook his head. Ash, on the other hand, thought for a second before nodding his head. "Besides, it's not like anyone else would've done anything different. Even that Winchester kid, if he's half as brave as he says he is, would've done the same."

As Lava peeled the apple given to her, Weiss stood up and handed Ash a small plate of apple slices before handing Ruby her own, seeing that the young girl was getting progressively jealous. Weiss returned to her seat after grabbing a slice from Ash's plate, causing some confusion in their friends, while causing Yang and Lava's curiosity to peak, being the older sisters and the ones most interested in a possible budding romance. Yang dropped her interrogation and Lava stopped peeling the apple in her hands, both looking at either Weiss or Ash for an explanation.

"So, you guys made up well," Lava teased, nudging the heiress with her wing and pointing the knife tip at her brother. She had the slyest grin on her face, along with Yang, as the two of them tried to figure out exactly what happened between the two the night she asked to stay with him. "There's something you two are not telling us… What happened two nights ago? You were practically in a coma all day then suddenly you're alive and well in the morning, except for the bruises on your left arm."

"I may have tried to pull a prank on Miss Schnee- Ah!" Ash screamed as Weiss got up while he spoke and slapped a hand down on his injured left forearm hard. He tried to muffle the bursts of pained screams by biting down on his bottom lip as he stared at the heiress currently glaring a little playfully at him. He gave a nod and cleared his throat before he spoke again. "What I meant to say was, I may have tried to pull a prank on Weiss. One that she didn't find the least bit humorous."

They all looked at Ash in disbelief, as he carefully rubbed the cast over his forearm as if it would help ease the pain. Weiss sat back down, satisfied with the dragon's revision – and after confiscating the plate of apple slices from Ash – allowing him to continue with his explanation of that night. Ash, on the other hand, glared slightly at the heiress for a little while, simply watching her enjoy the apple slices she stole. He took a deep breath before continuing, ignoring the teasing stares from his sister and Yang and the unnerving curious eyes from the others.

"As punishment for my _terrible_ prank, she began to attack me, aiming for my stitches, and like the idiot I am, I tried to block it all with my left forearm," Weiss tossed him an apple slice like an owner would toss a treat to her pet dog. Ash caught it, but rather unenthusiastically, popping it into his mouth. He chewed slowly in an attempt to buy him some time to come up with a way to continue the story without saying what happened immediately right after that point. "She explained to me exactly what happened to me and what happened to Vale after I left. And she _convinced_ me to start calling everyone by their given names, or to at the very least start with you all."

"Oh this is will be fun," Yang smirked as she rubbed her hands together mischievously. She walked up to him and placed her left hand on the bed, mere inches from Ash's head. He kept his eyes trained at hers and found the usual teasing look she gave her victims at the start of every play. She placed a finger at her chest and pulled on the shirt a little, exposing a little bit of her chest to him. When she spoke again, her tone was flirtatious in nature. "Call me by name, Ash Valentine. I'll be willing to show you more."

Ash let out a sigh and slowly reached a hand towards Yang's face. For a moment, she thought she'd finally won against him, but when she saw his hand change course to her shoulder and felt him squeeze the indentation like he'd done three times before. Almost immediately, all of Yang's energy left her. The left hand that she'd planted to support almost her entire weight, collapsed at the elbow. If it hadn't been for Ash catching her as she fell, she would've hit the ground face first no doubt.

"VALENTINE! I swear I will break your other arm when I get back to normal!" Yang swore as Ash ripped off the needles and wires attached to him and got off the bed, placing Yang there instead, being forced to use his left arm. She tried to hit him in any way she could, even tried to bite him, as he placed her down. Ash stretched his body as best he could without daring to tear his stitches and re-open his wounds. "Will you get rid of this paralysis already! You know I was just joking around with you! Didn't we agree that you won't paralyze us ever again!?"

"There was such an agreement wasn't there?" he said, grabbing his chin with two fingers and his thumb as he thought back to exactly what was said. After a moment, he shrugged his shoulders and placed his right palm against the same indentation on Yang's shoulder. He closed his eyes and soon Yang was able to move freely again. "I'm deeply sorry about Miss Xia-… Yang. I hope you can forgive me for my moment of ignorance."

"Kiss Weiss and we're even," Yang tried to compromise, but as Ash thought about the pros and cons of it, the door opened. Two people walked: one a man likely the same age as the professors of Beacon, and one a young girl that looks to be ten years of age. Ash turned and found Augus and Angela Sterling looking at him with mixed emotions. Angela was hiding behind her father at the sight of the multiple people in the room, while Augus looked rather guilty, as if he interrupted something, both in clean clothing that they were far less comfortable in. "Umm… hi. Can we help you with something?"

"Actually, we came to visit him. This one wouldn't stop pestering me in my forge," the older man said, gesturing to the young girl trying desperately to become invisible. Ash stepped forward and crouched down slowly until he was touching the ground with his fingers, grunting in pain as his stitches were stretched and pulled and contracted. "Go on Angela. We came all this way, you're not going to let a few people make this all go to waste will you? Just don't hurt more than he already is, alright?"

Angela let her father's clothing go before running to Ash and hugging his larger frame, once more trying to hide from the rest, unknowingly applying more force to Ash's wounds. With some difficulty, he picked her up and made his way to the bed. Yang got out of the way, allowing Ash to sit the girl on it. She let go of him and looked around the room, finding the many teens all looking at her expectantly. She no longer hid behind anything, no longer able to, but she still refused to talk.

"Angela, this is the people I've told you about. The Hunters and Huntresses-in-training that I've somehow managed to befriend, and as you can tell the one with the wings is my sister," he said motioning to the two teams and his sister. Angela looked around at them, not meeting their eyes, but acknowledged their existence at the very least. They all gave a slight wave or nod at the young girl, only for her to try and pull Ash towards her to hide. "Everyone, these are Augus and Angela Sterling. I've been under their care for the past week, and were the ones who saved me after an unfortunate meeting with the Grimm."

"He's been helping out in our small village ever since. The most we've seen a teenager work. Puts our kids to shame, really," Augus said as he properly entered the room, closing the door behind him. He leaned against the wall, making sure to stay near the door just in case his daughter becomes too shy and awkward and decides to run for home. He looked over Ash, inspecting his new wounds and the cast around his left forearm. "And can I assume that you got those from Grimm? I thought you came here to give your sister's sword back and stayed to learn how to fight Grimm."

"There was a complication a few days ago, which is why I'm in the state that you see me in now," Ash replied as he held his arms out to give Augus a better view of his injuries. Augus could almost laugh at how much it looked like the way they found him in the woods surrounded by Grimm: all battered and wounded, lucky or unlucky to be alive. "More importantly, how did you find me? I wasn't even included in the official report. No one but a handful of people knows that I even participated in the battle."

"I know the headmaster of Beacon. He told me where to find you," the older Faunus explained, watching the rest out of the corners of his eyes as they looked at him rather suspiciously. He wasn't sure what happened exactly, but he could feel some hostility coming from them all, especially the winged and white haired girls in the back. Whatever happened, he could only assume that it was enough for them to distrust many. "Whatever this complication is, it must've been big. I've never seen so many people that terrified of a hole in a wall. Care to fill me in?"

"Another time perhaps," Ash quickly dismissed, making his way over to the adult. He looked at him with intent, telling Augus all he needed to know, but Ash spoke up again anyway. "Instead, would you accompany me for a minute? I need to talk to you, privately."

With one nod, Ash and Augus left the room, waving off a passing by nurse, elected to check on why one of their patients had suddenly flat lined while he had visitors. Weiss tried to stand up and chase after them, curious as to what he had to say that he didn't want them, even Angela, to hear, but Lava held her arm out to stop her. Weiss looked over to the dragon but found her looking at the peeled apple in her other hand. When Weiss sat back down, Lava continued to slice the apple into bite size pieces and put them on a small plate. When she was done, she stood up and handed the plate to the quiet young cat Faunus on the bed.

Angela accepted the plate and immediately began to eat the slices though at a slow pace, wanting to busy herself with anything so that she doesn't need to talk. She found it strange that even though she was basically living her dream, being surrounded by Hunters and Huntresses who she could ask for interesting stories one after the other, she couldn't bring herself to utter a single word. What's more, the Hunters and Huntresses in question were people that she'd asked Ash details for, ever since he mentioned them. Angela looked around, briefly glancing at each and every one of them, keeping her gaze a little longer at Lava, before stopping at Weiss.

Skin as white and pure as the freshly fallen snowflake, sitting up straight like a dignified lady, while carrying the Aura of someone important. A princess, just like Ash had described her. Angela held her stare for a minute longer, fully taking in Weiss' form. Weiss, on the other hand, broke off from the staring contest, feeling rather awkward at how much the girl had seemed to take interest in her out of everyone else, especially considering whom she was sitting next to.

"Can… can you sing?" Angela finally spoke after a while. Weiss merely stared at her for a moment, not really sure if it was the surprise that someone didn't know she sung, or if it was the surprise that out of everything else, Angela decided to ask that first. Weiss nodded cautiously once and suddenly the initially shy girl became energetic, putting down the plate of apple slices and making her way to Weiss. "Can you sing me a song? Please? Ash said you're super good at singing, so can I hear a song?"

"I'll sing, but only if you tell us what he told you about us, and if you have a few _stories_ to tell us," Weiss said, smiling deviously at the young girl. She wasn't as good at reading people as anyone else, but even she could tell that the request was simple trade for the girl. Angela thought for a bit, trying to remember everything that was requested of her. "So, I assume that would be a yes. What song would you like, or would you rather I surprise you with one of my choosing?"

"The song on that small, plastic box that he always carries," the small cat Faunus immediately replied, surprising Weiss and causing questions to rise from the others. Weiss let out a satisfied sigh as she thought back to what song she could be referencing. Once more, Weiss nodded and pure elation emanated from the young girl. Anyone who doesn't know how the relationship, or rather previous relationship, would've found the sight strange: one of the Schnee's conversing to young Faunus as if they were friends. "He said that you had a voice of an angel: so beautiful that it breaks your heart."

"That hopeless romantic," Weiss shook her head and stood up, moving closer to the window so that her voice could easily echo in the room. Angela scrambled closer to the edge of the bed facing Weiss, and got comfortable with pure eyes that only a child could ever have. Weiss took a deep breath and began to sing imagining a soft piano playing ever so lonely.

 _Mirror, tell me something._

 _Tell me who's the loneliest… of all._

* * *

Ash and Augus found themselves in the back of the hospital, in a park like setting with no one else around. It was only thanks to the early evacuation that the hospital wasn't overflowing with injured civilians now, for that, everyone can be thankful for, but more than anything, Ash was thankful that it also meant he was able to talk to Augus with the utmost privacy. The two didn't speak a word on their way out, allowing the other to think about what they needed to say, what they could say, and what they will eventually say. Ash, most of all, needed that time.

"Augus, I'll keep this brief, else the others will become more suspicious than they already are," Ash took a deep breath and sat down at a nearby bench, inviting Augus to do the same. Just as he wanted, Augus sat down at the other end of the bench, the sight more of two strangers than friends or acquaintances. "I asked Professor Ozpin to secure me transportation to Menagerie in three months time. Therefore I wanted to thank you for saving me, and taking care of me."

"It was the least I could've done to thank you for saving my daughter and the village. Some would even argue that it was the only way to thank you," Augus laughed, half expecting him to say his goodbye as well, but the fact that he didn't ask Angela to come along told him otherwise. He was never able to read the boy fully, only able to read whatever Ash wanted him to read, but Augus wasn't oblivious. It only left one other option. "Tell me Ash, exactly what are you planning? You're planning on leaving your friends behind without even telling them? I mean, why did you have tell me this alone? Why not in there?"

"Look around us Augus, what do you see? I see scenery, a painting, a place that I do not belong in, and yet I'm here anyway. That's why I plan to escape it," Ash's tone of voice was dripping, sopping, with his hidden and concentrated frustration. His hands closed into tight fists, his knuckles popping and his hands seemingly turning paler than it already is. He didn't care that by doing so, the bruised muscles in his left forearm contracted and squeezed the broken radius and ulna, anything to relieve him of the constant flow of frustration. "Do not mistake me, I want to stay, with them, with you and Angela, but something screams at me that I do not belong, and whatever it is, I know it's right. I know that going to Menagerie is only a temporary solution, but it's a solution nonetheless."

"Alright, but if you're so eager to find this solution, then why in three months? Why not the day you recover? Or even why not now?" Augus continued to ask, with Ash's answers only giving birth to more questions. Ash laughed at how much confusion he was causing, always happy to cause a little bit of harmless chaos, but he knew what the cat Faunus would ask, and that he will give in to the same reason that forced Ozpin to the same. "There's no reason for you to stay here any longer than necessary."

"Actually, I was thinking of going back to the village with you and Angela. Pay my debt. If I left now, then I would feel guilty, as if my life is only worth three days of work," Augus laughed at the proclamation, now able to understand what the boy was thinking better than before. However, even though he understood his thinking, Augus still wasn't able to view the reasoning as a sound one. There were more mistakes in the explanation than the dragon would ever allow himself to realize. "Also try to figure out what I will do when I get to Menagerie. Perhaps even borrow a few maps and books about the island while I'm here."

"You know, whatever debt you think you have to pay doesn't really exist right? We saved you because you saved us," Ash flinched at the older man's argument, never thinking about the situation the way he represented. Augus laughed again at the dragon's expression, but that laughter soon came to a stop when he realized something about the dragon's plan. "Ash, do you really think that this will put an end, or at the very least help put an end, to this _misplacement_ that you're feeling? You're only isolating yourself from everyone else, so that you don't feel guilty about leaving them."

"This is why I had to speak with you privately. Because you are the third and last person that can has a chance to convince me, and should the others join in, you'd be able to turn that chance into a certainty," Ash stood up and looked towards the sky, trying to get lost in it for a small escape from the real world. Behind him, Augus pieced together what he said. Alone he has a chance, but despite what Ash said, the people in the hospital room, or at least one person there, would be the one to ultimately convince him to stay; Augus was merely the catalyst for the reaction. "The first was Glynda Goodwitch, then Professor Ozpin, but both had made the mistake to try and convince me alone. I'd originally planned to talk to you about this after I've gotten back to the village, but you and Angela just had to visit. But it was fortunate that you did, or maybe fortunate isn't the word for it, _efficient_ perhaps."

"I won't be able to convince too, will I?" Augus asked as he sank down into the bench, smiling at how easily he'd fallen for the hastily set trap. Ash turned and smiled.

"You were close, Augus. Take pride in that," Ash laughed rather bitterly and lonely at the thought of going to Menagerie alone without so much as an idea where to go and what to do when he gets there. Going to a place where no one knew him, that was the plan all along, but why is that now the thought only gave him a deep sense of emptiness. "I believe that only leaves on question left unanswered. What is my plan? It really is simple, and you've only a small part in it. There's a second reason why I brought you here of all places; it's to show you where I want you to wait for me tonight."

Ash and Augus came back nearly half an hour later, after discussing exactly what Ash's plan was to escape the hospital, but when they entered the room again, they found Angela engaged in a seemingly never-ending conversation with everyone else. They began to wonder what had occurred to cause it, but were dragged into it instead, with the Hunters and Huntresses-in-training demanding stories they can use against Ash. They spent most of their time like that, not even paying attention to the fact that Ash refused to put the needles back into his hand again.

There was slight guilt in Ash as he listened to Augus and Angela tell them stories after stories, looking at how much they were enjoying every single one of them, even the usually reserved Lie Ren was paying close attention. As for Ash, he remained silent, barely paying attention to what's being said, only thinking about how he could apologize to all them when he decides to go back… should he decide to go back. As the day continued, he couldn't help but look at both Weiss and Lava, hoping to Oum that they, most of all, forgive him for running away once again. If they knew what he was about to do, what would they do? How would they feel? Would they even be surprised?

* * *

When night fell and all of Vale had fallen asleep, Ash opened his eyes, fully rested for the long walk back to the village. Due to the fact that the needles and heart monitor wasn't applied to him after he removed them, the nurses weren't alerted when he got up and exited the room. In nothing more than a pair of black sweat pants and a pair of black flip flops, he kept low and snuck his way back to the small park that he'd asked Augus to wait. He was glad to see that the older man had accepted his request and was waiting patiently in the cold along with Angela.

"Now, are you sure you want to do this?" Augus asked for the final time, wearing a worried expression. Ash gave him a nod and a smile, without even knowing whether or not it was faked. He looked down at Angela who was giving him the loneliest expression he'd ever seen on her. "Then we might as well get going. It's a long walk back."

"Ash, the princess is here. She wants you to stay with her," Angela tried to argue; in hopes that she would be able to convince him whereas her father could not. Ash smiled at her, as if to show his appreciation for making an attempt but even she knew when she'd lost. "Will you at least say goodbye to her?"

"Eventually I will, but I don't plan on doing so tonight," his voice was almost completely monotone, as he tried to hide the guilt that's been growing ever since that afternoon. Together the three of them began to walk away from the hospital, leaving behind what was sure to be a huddle of nurses and doctors wondering why the hospital had one less patient without them noticing.

As they were exiting the hospital perimeter, twelve figures came out of the shadows and blocked their path out. Out of the twelve, only one stood out, her white hair and white and blue clothing illuminated under the moonlight. Being Faunus, Ash, Augus and Angela were able to see the rest, with some faces only known to Ash. The rest of Team RWBY stood in their way, along with Teams JNPR and LAVA. Augus and Angela stopped in their tracks, allowing Ash to move past them and deal with the twelve guardians.

"Not even going to say goodbye?" Weiss called out, as Ash got closer. She had Myrtenaster at her hip, ready to pull it in case the situation calls for something more violent than mere words. Ash held up his hands about head level in surrender, as he got closer. All four of Team RWBY readied their weapons and leveled them at Ash, knowing that he wouldn't dare dodge their projectiles with the two Faunus behind him. He stopped moving and simply stared at them. "After all this time, you thought we wouldn't catch on to your tricks? You think _I_ wouldn't? Give me a little credit."

"I knew," Ash called back, though his voice was significantly quieter, trying to hide whatever emotion he was feeling. He was proud that his friends were now able to guess what his next move was, no matter how vague the guess might be. However, at the same time, he found the new found ability rather annoying. Every single bit of his plan could be ruined by how the situation was handled, and by the looks of things, nothing was going his way. "I knew that you'd be suspicious, especially since the Sterling's had arrived, but I just had to bet on the chance that you'd all disregard it, no matter how small that chance may have been. But is that all you want? A goodbye?"

"'Is that all?'" Weiss echoed with sarcasm and spite in the tone of her voice. A white glyph appeared at the tip of her rapier and a small blast of Ice Dust flew from the middle, hitting Ash on his chest. The male dragon held a grunt in pain as the ice shattered against one of his stitches, and at his body's memory of being nearly frozen. "I should've guessed that you'd retort with an insult. To answer your question, no, we- I want more than a mere farewell. To start, I want you to explain exactly what you're trying to accomplish in leaving before you've fully recovered."

When Ash refused to say anything after a minute, Weiss created another white glyph and shot a small icicle at the most major of Ash's wounds, barely caring about the possibility of the wounds opening again. In fact, a part of her wanted to do just that to give him a reason to stay at least a little bit longer. When he still refused to say anything, Weiss shot another small icicle from the glyph, striking the same spot as the previous one. At this one, Ash let out a pained scream, almost falling to his knees, but found some strength to stay up with his hands still up in surrender.

"I wasn't going to say goodbye because I knew I would be coming back," he finally began to explain, his voice strained as his body screamed and protested in pain. The glyph disappeared, but Weiss, nor any of the members of Team RWBY, refused to lower their weapons, instead Team JNPR joined in with their now also pointed at Ash. "It may not be immediately, but I will be coming back her. I just need everyone to be patie—"

"Next, I want to know what you're planning on doing in Menagerie," Weiss interrupted him, successful in silencing him and practically disarming the others. Everyone, but her, lowered their weapons in shock. Team JNPR looked at her, wondering how she knew when none of them told her, not knowing that Ren had taken it upon himself to tell her days ago. Her teammates and Team LAVA looked at her wondering what she was talking about. "What can you do there that you can't do here? Is it to fulfill my final orders to you? If it wasn't already obvious, I'd already rescinded those orders when you went ahead and decided to be this city's martyr."

"I can try to find where I belong," Ash answered, hoping it was enough to throw Weiss off her guard, but it proved useless when she stood resolute, ready to see it through the end.

"And how are you planning on doing that?" Ash, this time, remained silent. Three more glyphs appeared around Weiss and all of them shot small icicles at Ash, but ended up missing, shattering against the ground around him. With his bare chest out in the open, Weiss was able to tell exactly how much Ash fought against his instincts to dodge at that moment. His mind had switched a single thought: fight or flight. He began to breath heavily, trying to calm himself down from the natural instinct. "What makes you think you belong anywhere else but with us? Face it you idiot, you're like us. You're a Hunter now."

"Maybe you're right," Ash finally relented, putting his hands and head down in defeat… or so they thought. A thin veil of near invisible red smoke began to pour out of the dragon as he looked up again, back at the group in front of him. He lowered his body slightly and got into a fighting stance. His left hand was thrust out slightly in front of him, while his right hand was close to his right cheek. "Therefore, the only way to get through is to beat all of you."

Jaune and Pyrrha moved together in front of Weiss with their shields raised, ready to block against any of the dragon's attacks, fully knowing that shields will only be temporary solution. Ruby planted her scythe's tip into the ground and took aim at Ash's chest, though refused to pull the trigger. Blake and Yang stood to Weiss' sides, ready to protect her should the front line fail. While Nora, Ren and Team LAVA stood to the side of the formation, ensuring that Ash's would be able to escape if he tried to run through.

Ash moved forward and Jaune and Pyrrha tightened their grip around their weapons and shields, not knowing whether they should attack or even counter at all. It was enough that Ash's semblance put a strain on his injured muscles, but should they add to it? And as he got closer, they knew that their time to decide was quickly running out. It also didn't help that Ash purposely dropped his guard as if to encourage them to attack.

As he got closer, Ash felt the air around him get colder and colder. At first he disregarded it, only thinking of it as the usual cold night air, but when he could no longer stop himself from shivering he squinted his eyes and looked past everyone. Weiss was at the back with her eyes closed and a glowing white glyph behind her. When she opened her eyes, an large ice block immediately began to grow from the ground below Ash, gluing his feet to the ground and eventually his legs, then his waist, and then finally his arms. Only his chest, head, and hands remained unfrozen, but nevertheless, he was stuck.

Everyone else lowered their weapons and parted at the middle, allowing Weiss through. She sheathed Myrtenaster at her hip again, since the battle was over before it had even began. She reached into her pockets and pulled out the black gloves he usually wore and placed his hands back in them.

"You didn't really think that we'd be desperate enough to fight you," she said in a warm and soothing voice. Initially, Ash was confused, not even able to speak as the heiress worked his hands into the gloves. He looked to the rest and found them all smiling at him, like they'd been friends since the beginning of time. When his hands were wrapped again, he immediately felt warmer. "We were just annoyed at how you planned on leaving us again."

She reached into her pocket again and pulled out a fresh roll of gauze. She began to wrap his chest and shoulders with it, careful of his wounds and the stumps on his back. Augus and Angela joined them and smiled, almost apologetically at Ash, almost making him laugh at their betrayal. He could feel Weiss' fingers hitting his body from time to time, and he could tell from how warm they were, that she was slightly embarrassed.

"Some prank. I was more than ready to fight my way through all of you," he said out loud. Weiss stopped wrapping his chest for a moment, but it wasn't at the proclamation, but at the sight of his stumps trying to flap three times. It made her curious, but not enough to allow it distract her continuously. "Even though I'm injured, I'm sure I would've at least stood a chance."

Once more, Ash's stumps tried to flap against the gauze three times and Weiss began to unwrap them with a thought in mind. Ash found it strange that she began to unwrap his chest when she was so nearly done, but paid no heed, at least for the time being.

"Ash, where were you the Saturday before the prom?" Weiss suddenly asked, confusing everyone, especially the Sterling's. Before Ash could answer, Weiss successfully unwrapped the gauze almost entirely, only leaving Ash's stumps to the cold night air.

"I was still at the Atlas hospital. I was only given clearance to board the Bullhead Sunday morning," he replied casually; a clear lie, but only to the two of them and Jaune. Once more, Ash's stumps began to twitch and Weiss counted all three twitches. She almost slapped herself for being so oblivious to it, but she laughed happily instead.

"Oum, that's why I thought your tell didn't exist," she said as she touched the two stumps with the tips of her index fingers. Ash looked back with pink cheeks, still uncomfortable with anyone touching his sensitive stumps. Weiss had the largest smile on her face when he saw her. "Ash, your wings twitch three times whenever you lie."

Ash tried to reach back to snatch the gauze from her hands and wrap his chest up himself, but forming scars and stitches prevented him from reaching back far enough. Weiss laughed and laughed, allowing Ash to turn around before she stopped her laughing and grabbed his cheeks, bringing him closer to her. When she kissed him in front of everyone, she could only feel joy; neither embarrassment nor shame took her over. Augus shielded his daughter's eyes from the scene but she had a big smile on her face as she peeked in between her father's fingers. Blake, Yang and Lava immediately took out their scrolls and took a photo of the moment; successful as the hero wasn't able to foil the villain's plans this time around.

When Weiss let Ash free, there was small string of saliva connecting them still, but eventually snapped when the heiress pulled back further. Ash was left stunned for a moment longer, looking at the white-haired girl, trying to remember what had just occurred. Weiss embraced the still stunned dragon and listened to his rapid heartbeat.

"Don't make the decision to go to Menagerie just yet, but you do have to come back in three month, understood?" Ash finally came back to them and nodded, though rather slowly. She laughed and pecked his lips once more and wrapped his chest and shoulders before fully releasing to the Sterling's.

It took a moment for Ash to shake off the feeling of overwhelming joy from his chest, until he was able to walk properly again, but eventually the three of them disappeared into the slightly less busy streets of Vale. The twelve teens waited for a minute longer after they had already lost sight of them, before Lava spoke, breaking the silence for all of them.

"So, should I call you 'sister' now? Or do I have to wait for the wedding?"


	42. Dead Fire

Three months to some people is a long time, but to Teams RWBY and JNPR, it couldn't have come sooner and they slightly dreaded every day's end… well almost all of them. Ever since Ash and the Sterling's left, Weiss had been training much more than she normally would, redoubling her efforts in becoming a better fighter, often asking her friends to spar, as well as trying to master her family's hereditary semblance in her own time. Her everyday schedule had changed to the point where however many hours were left in her day it had been for sleeping, eating, and for hygienic purposes. There were some times that her team caught her studying different forms of hand to hand combat, but for some reason, she'd never implemented any of them whenever she sparred with one of them. The only time that she allowed herself some rest was Valentine's Day, where another type of stress was present.

No one really knew why the heiress was training so hard. Many, including her team, assumed that it was for the upcoming Vytal Festival but, when her efforts caused her to pass out from exhaustion, her team decided to question her. For several days, they confiscated her weapon and forced her to rest whilst they question her, only able to get one clear answer: their final attempt to convince Ash. They understood what the heiress was aiming for; after all, they as well wanted the dragon to stay, for more reasons than one, but what they couldn't understand is why she was seemed so desperate in her training or why she thought it was the only way to convince him. Nevertheless, they helped her in anyway they could, knowing that it could be their only chance to watch over her and ensure that she doesn't overwork herself again.

The situation with the Atlas military had been resolved in the first month with a little help from an angry Winter Schnee, mad at the fact that the council weren't able to immediately decided that Vale was worth saving, especially since her little sister was currently there. The military had fulfilled their end of the deal by closing up the old train tunnel and paying for Ash's medical fees, though the dragon's sudden disappearance had caused the hospital to go into a panic which the military had to resolve. Of course, the Hunters and Huntresses-in-training still had some hold over the military even after the deal was done, a minor one that could hardly do anything, but it was present nevertheless.

Only a week after the Breach, Team LAVA had departed for Atlas for their team mission despite already receiving full credits for participating in the defense of Vale, but honestly, who could blame them? Lava had been overly ecstatic at the promise of restoring her brother's wings and not even the hottest flames of hell will get in her way. As for her team… well, it was always a rare opportunity to see a wingless dragon get his wings back, and they'd never seen their leader so excited to be around humans inspecting her wings. Winter made sure to send Weiss reports about their progress, often getting requests to hurry without ever being given a reason as to why.

Half way through the second month, Team LAVA had finally returned to Beacon, the longest team mission that had ever been assigned, and even though they'd just come back, Weiss was quick to demand to spar with Lava. Though utterly unsure what happened to the heiress while they were gone, Lava went along with it and granted Weiss her request. The two of them spent their weekends sparring against each other, and each time, Lava was always surprised at how much more effort Weiss would put in.

On the third month, Weiss began to slow down on her training and rested her tired muscles more, spending most of her time studying hand to hand combat even further, though like before, refused to implement any into her fighting style. It eventually came to the point where Glynda Goodwitch became curious about the matter and asked the heiress about it, only to receive the same answer as the others. No one was really sure what the heiress meant, even after pondering about it and asking the heiress to clarify herself, it was always to convince Ash.

Outside of the three teams, the only ones who know about what had occurred between Weiss and Ash the night he left Vale with the Sterling's are Glynda Goodwitch and Team CFVY, which made it more confusing as to why the heiress felt the need to train to convince Ash of something. As far as they were concerned, Ash had already chosen to stay with Weiss and was only staying at the village now to pay off his debt for saving his life. Either way, they all chose to let the topic go and just go along with the heiress' plan if she even had one. If she felt like she needed to fight Ash, then they'd let her, but there was only one thing that worried them: according to what they heard from the heiress and the dragon, Weiss had never won once against Ash. The only thing that bothered them is that whether or not Weiss would take losing rather negatively even after all the effort that she's put.

On the day before Ash was supposed to return to Beacon, Team RWBY were in their dorm room simply relaxing before classes begin. Ruby was reading the X-Ray and Vav comic book that she borrowed from Jaune. Weiss was on her scroll, reading more about hand-to-hand combat, seemingly ignoring the entire world. Blake was reading one of her books as always, devouring it as if it was her favorite tuna. Yang was brushing her beloved hair like usual, making sure to make it as captivating as always. All was normal for the rather active three months, but when both Glynda Goodwitch and Professor Ozpin knocks on the door, it either meant something bad was going to happen or something interesting.

Ruby opened the door and stepped to the side, allowing the two professors to step inside the room. Ozpin walked in first, followed by Glynda who was glaring at the back of his head with clear malice. Glynda had her arms crossed on her chest, always keeping at least two arms away from the gray-haired man as if to keep herself from attacking him. All four members of Team RWBY dropped everything they were doing and gave the two professors their attention, the displeased expression of Glynda being the most notable.

"We're sorry for the interruption girls, but I'd like you all to forget about classes for the day," Ozpin said though his tone gave away his uncertainty of the decision. Glynda, the one who would be the last person to agree to such a request remained silent and allowed the headmaster to continue without interruption. The four teenagers simply looked at each other, already finding the day to be far too strange to immediately question the older man's intentions. "Instead, I'd like you all to go on a small mission. We've received reports of a large group of Grimm causing trouble in a village to the south, the same village that Ash is supposed to be residing in."

"Well, if it means no classes," Yang said jokingly as she jumped down from her bunk, immediately calling for her locker to deliver Ember Celica to the docking bay, ready for her to pick it up. Her teammates shook their heads at the poor joke, but followed her lead and called for their lockers as well. "Wait a minute, how do you know where he was professor? Did he tell you?"

"No. However, I do know the person he's staying with," Ozpin explained as he watched his students gather whatever they need for the small mission. Glynda cleared her throat and Ozpin continued. "Another thing girls, once you're done, I'd like you all to bring him back with you. The Bullhead I've prepared for him will be here a little bit earlier than expected. Due to certain accident with the Atlas military, it'll be here tonight."

"You're telling us to say goodbye," Weiss said with a little bit of resentment and anxiety, as she wondered whether or not she truly was prepared for her final attempt at convincing the dragon. The thought of failure has crossed her mind once, but she couldn't allow herself to think of it any further in case it proves to be the factor that stops her. "Professor, I'm sure you know that we have no intention of simply letting him go to Menagerie without one final fight. We have one last attempt. However this attempt goes, at the very least we'll be satisfied."

"A question, if I may," Ozpin's uncertain look quickly turned to one of intent and curiosity as he stared the heiress down, trying to figure out what she had planned. There was no flaw in how she carried herself, and only confidence was present in her eyes when she stared back at him. "What makes you think that you could succeed where we could not? What's the difference?"

"It's because I know him better than anyone else," she replied, as she got the small pouch of Dust from the drawer containing her clothes. Glynda dragged Ozpin away soon after that, allowing the four girls to change out of their school uniforms to their usual combat outfits. Though as she got changed, Weiss began to slightly doubt herself, speaking against in a very light whisper. "I do know him better than anyone else, right?"

* * *

Nearly two hours after Ozpin had forced the request for assistance on to them, Team RWBY were looking down at the seemingly endless forest south of the city, catching tiny glimpses of a passing group of Grimm from time to time. A little bit closer to the horizon, was what remains of Mountain, now standing as an even darker reminder of failure and hatred, though now at the same time hope. Many lay buried underneath the rubble; they were just fortunate that Ash isn't counted amongst the great numbers. Though as all four of them looked at it, especially Blake, they couldn't help but slightly mourn the White Fang activists.

The village soon came to sight. A small congregation of wooden buildings and one make of cobblestone and metal. They could see a few people wondering about, mainly children playing with each other, but not much else. They could only guess that the rest of the small village's residents were either inside their houses or were out in the forest despite having called for a Hunter, or a team, to get rid of the Grimm. It wasn't long before the Bullhead was spotted by one of the villagers and everyone stopped what they were doing to clear the middle for the vehicle to land on. Many of the children ran and hid behind the adults out of caution, while the others, including Angela looked up at the machine in absolute awe.

When the Bullhead landed, Team RWBY came out and inspected their surroundings once, slightly stunned that the population of the village was made entirely of Faunus. They expected to see Ash somewhere amongst the small crowd, but instead, when the Bullhead's engines had come to a full stop, Angela came running towards them, throwing herself to Ruby's arms, accidently tackling her to the ground. Ruby gave one 'oof' as the young girl's shoulder smashed against her stomach before she hit the ground. Yang picked the ten-year-old up by her armpits and placed her down on her feet.

"What are you guys doing here?" she asked as Weiss helped her partner up back on her feet and the other children stopped hiding behind the adults to inspect the new people since one of them seemed to be friends with them. Even some of the adults decided to come closer to inspect the spectacle, coming out of their homes or leaving whatever they were doing that didn't require any immediate attention. "Wait, are you guys going to help get rid of the Grimm? You are, right? You guys are a bit late though. My dad, Ash, and a few others already went out to try and deal with them."

"Wait, what? Couldn't they just wait for some help instead of trying to act tough?" Weiss complained incredulously, shaking her head as she crossed her arms together on her chest and leaned slightly, placing most of her weight on her left leg. Angela was quiet for a moment and looked away awkwardly unsure how to answer the heiress. Weiss let out a sigh before she spoke again. "Is the situation that bad? Why don't you tell us what happened?"

"Three of our farmers were attacked in the farm up in the mountain. All three of them are ok right now, but they're too hurt to move. Then five of the older kids were attacked at the river. One of them almost… didn't make it," Angela explained as best she could without looking around, fully knowing that if she did she'd have to bear witness to the families that were hurt by the Grimm. Yang placed a hand on the young Faunus' right shoulder and gave her permission to stop with a single nod. "They're at the cliffs above the waterfall, they said something about setting up a trap there, using the same thing Ash did to lead the Grimm away from the village when he first got here. Come on, I'll take you there."

"Whoa, whoa. Wait a minute Angela. It's too dangerous," Ruby argued as she rushed forward using her semblance to get in front of the ten-year-old immediately. It was clear that the young girl was terrified of going by the way her body was shaking lightly and her knees very nearly buckling to force her to stop, but there was an even clearer emotion written on her face: worry. Ruby knelt down in front of her and gave her a bright smile. "We'll only be gone for a few minutes. We'll help take care of the Grimm and get back without so much as a scratch on anyone, I promise. After that, we can play until we have to go back, ok?"

Angela gave her one final nod and pointed them in the direction they needed to go before the team ran out of the village as fast they could, leaving behind a girl praying that nothing goes wrong. The four of them dodged around trees and bushes with Ruby activating her semblance every once in a while to go above the trees and scout ahead for the waterfall as well as to judge how long they have until they got there. Twice throughout the entire run, Ruby looked back at Weiss to see if she'd give away an expression of how she felt about Ash using himself as bait once again, but the heiress kept a straight face through it all, only panting lightly as she forced herself to keep running despite already running out of breath.

It wasn't long before they got to the cliffs Angela mentioned. They expected to see a fight between the few Faunus that decided to take up arms to fight and the Grimm, but all they saw was Ash sitting at the cliffs to the right of the waterfall with his legs dangling down, as he stared at the cloudless blue sky above him. He had a smile on his face as if he wasn't in Grimm territory, where a supposed large group was said to currently reside at. He was slightly tanner last they saw him, losing the near similar snow white complexion as Weiss but probably only a tiny shade different. His raven hair grew significantly longer, now in a small ponytail save for the bangs he kept tucked behind his ears and trapped underneath the hair he had tied up. He wore a simple sleeveless white shirt and ratty blue jeans that seemed to have been fixed and tailored to suit him specifically. Around his hands were the black gloves that he'd gotten from Weiss three months ago and next to him was a gray sword sheath with what seemed to be the Atlas heavy blade in it, the girls barely able to see the Atlas symbol on the guard.

He looked around once and was slightly stunned to see the four girls staring at him, but before any of them could speak or take a step forward, Ash held up a hand to stop them. With the same hand he placed his index finger just in front of his lips while motioned for them to stay low with his other hand. They did as he requested and crouched down behind some bushes and trees. For minutes they waited without much of a change in sound and scenery. Ash grabbed the sheath next to him and pulled the sheath to reveal a small portion of the blade inside it. He brought his left pinky finger to the blade and glided it across the blade's edge, drawing blood from it as if to tell the girls exactly what he planned to do. Weiss wanted to go over to him and scold him for using himself as bait, but considering how relaxed he seemed to be, he had confidence in this trap Angela mentioned.

The wind began to pick, rustling the leaves in the trees as it whistled past their ears, then the sounds of multiple footsteps, differing in weight appeared to the left of the waterfall. All five looked towards the direction of the footsteps and watched the bushes and trees carefully for any sign of movement, no matter how small and seemingly insignificant it may be. As the footsteps came closer, the roars of Grimm began to reach their ears.

Augus and another adult Faunus came running out of the bushes and immediately ran north, away from the waterfall and away from Ash. The dragon on the other hand activated his semblance and allowed the red smoke to engulf his form. When the Grimm broke through the bushes, they immediately turned to face Ash, rushing him now instead of the two adult Faunus that had their attention not a minute before.

The horde of Grimm consisted of Beowolves, Ursai, and Creeps; easily taken care of when alone, challenging in a pack, and severely dangerous when together, something they all experienced three months ago. Luckily, the Creeps were immediately swept away by the fast current as they tried to cross the river, and the water only slowed the Ursai down, while the Beowolves easily cleared the five yards by using the other Grimm as stepping-stones to get across. Though they were only disappointed and frustrated when Ash pushed himself off the cliff and disappeared down the waterfall.

The four girls almost got up and rushed forward to help, but as they watched the last of Beowolves and Ursai jump off the cliff to follow their object of interest, Ash appeared again at the cliff with the red smoke no longer around him, peeking at his surroundings making sure that the area was clear before he pulled himself up with the sheathed blade in his left hand. He stood up and dusted himself as best he could, but the more he tried, the more he realized that it was pointless as whatever part of the shirt got wet was now muddy. He dropped the weapon on the ground and removed his shirt completely and motioned for the girls to show themselves again and join him by the cliff side.

As the team got closer, they couldn't help but notice the little more subtle differences hidden underneath the thin white shirt. He'd gotten leaner, more muscular and as they got even closer, they could see that he'd gotten a little bit taller, perhaps an inch or two. The scars that he'd gotten during the Breach were now nothing more than pale lines, but a lot more prominent than the ones he'd received before. The only portion that was still hidden to them was his chest, upper back, and shoulders, hidden behind a black skin-tight shirt to keep his stumps flat against his back. At the left corner of his lips, was a small scar from a wound he'd received in the now destroyed substation.

He bent down and retrieved his weapon from the ground and slung it across his shoulders and onto his back, careful to keep it in between the stumps on his back. He simply held the dirtied shirt in one hand slightly annoyed that it had gotten dirtier than what he expected it to be. As Team RWBY made their way to him, Ash brought two fingers to his lips and let out a loud whistle to signal Augus and the other Faunus. He turned to Team RWBY with a small smile and bowed slightly to them as a greeting. Weiss immediately picked up the pace and slammed a hand down on the back of his head.

"I thought I told you to break that habit of yours," she said as he picked his head up from her blow. He gave a meek smile before laughing lightly at the statement, and action. It wasn't the greeting he expected, but nevertheless, to see the four of them again after months, anything would've been just as good. They each gave the dragon their greetings while Yang fought the urge to rip the small shirt from him and take a picture to sell to the Faunus girls back at Beacon. "We were sent to help take care of the Grimm problem you guys have here. Why don't you tell us what we need to know?"

"Mostly taken care of now," Augus' voice echoed slightly as he and the other Faunus made their way to the five of them. The other Faunus stopped Augus for a moment and the two had a very brief conversation before he took off in the direction of the village. Augus, on the other hand, continued walking towards the group. "Ash, Ken's going to get Lance and Farron. We can go ahead and go back to the village. Now, where was I…"

"The request for assistance was sent out nearly two weeks ago," Ash continued for Augus as he stretched his arms. Ash walked towards Augus and motioned for the girls to follow, believing that should he forget something, the male cat Faunus would be able to fill it in for him. "With the Grimm coming closer day by day, we simply couldn't wait for it any longer. Which is why we had to take care of it ourselves, or at the very least lessen the numbers. We spent the last week doing this and it seems that its been working so far."

"Your friend here came up with the idea of putting spikes at the base of the waterfall, then leading them to fall of the cliff, as long as we manage to get the Grimm out here," Augus continued as he passed the group to look over the cliff and check whether or not their trap worked. From what he could see, none of the Grimm survived. If they didn't die from the near 90-foot drop, then they definitely would've died from the rows of wooden spikes at the bottom. "The only down side is that we won't be able to use the river until the bodies disappear and until we remove those spikes. We manage to get by using the river up here, but as you might've figured out, it's not really an easy trek."

"You know, next time there's a mission where Ash is, let's just tell everyone to ignore it," Yang said half jokingly, shaking her head as she silently apologized to Ember Celica for not having killed even a single Grimm. Ash let out a small chuckle and began to lead the way back to the village. Team RWBY and Augus followed close behind him, except for Yang who immediately caught up to the dragon, wrapping an arm around his neck, bringing him close. "So, Ash. Exactly what happened between you and Weiss three months ago? Weiss won't say anything about it, but you will right? I'll make it worth your while."

"Miss Xiao Long, I'll allow you to take a picture of me with this top if you stop your pursuit of the topic," Ash said, trying to make a deal with the blonde brawler, anything to throw her thoughts into disarray enough to keep her becoming too stubborn to deal with. For a moment there, she actually faltered, her free hand already reaching into her pocket and gripping her scroll. In the same moment, Ash felt a small sense of hope, but Yang shook her head vigorously, refusing to fall victim to his ploy. "Even if I agree to do any pose that you may want? Would that, perhaps, change your mind? And when I say any, I mean _any_."

"You… you think… that'll get me? I'm not… that desperate for lien… that I'll let you get away with…" Yang tried to get the deal proposed out of her head. She removed her arm from Ash and took a step back, as to not allow the dragon gain any more control over her thoughts, but it seemed that it was already too late. Ash waited and made sure she was looking before stopping in his tracks and removed the sheathed weapon and the skin-tight shirt, allowing the world to stare at his stumps. "Ok, deal. I'm going to make you regret ever trying to manipulate me Valentine. Remember that."

Ash only smiled before he continued to walk towards the village with both the dirtied white shirt and the black skin-tight shirt clutched in one hand. Yang stayed back for a second longer to join her team again, as they all stared at the pair of black stumps on the dragon's back, imagining a new pair of Atlas made wings attached to the pair. As far as they knew, Ash had no idea about the surprise and they all wait anxiously for the time when they can see him flying in the sky like a dragon should. However, it also filled them with slight dread. Questions began to appear in their minds, with three being the most prominent: Would he stay long enough to receive the wings? Would he even accept them? And if he does, would he be more likely to fly away than stay, like a true caged bird?

The only one that seemed confident to answer those questions was Weiss, but it was clear that there was some doubt within her by the way she was frowning at Ash every now and then. In front of them, Ash let out a tired yawn, but his wings seemed to have been energetic, flapping around while he did so. He craned his neck from side to side, earning him a few loud pops from his vertebrae before he closed his hands into fists several times, popping his knuckles every other close. Three things that Weiss recognized as the norm every time he'd do when he stayed up late the night before.

"Hey Augus, did Ash stay up late last night?" Weiss asked in a whisper to ensure that the dragon wouldn't be able to hear. Augus, thankfully, understood what she was trying to do and gave her a simple nod in reply in an attempt to use his voice as minimally as possible, unsure if he'd be able to keep his voice down like her. Ruby, Blake, and Yang listened closely; taking turns to look at Ash and make sure he wasn't getting suspicious. "What's he been doing that could be so important that he'd do something like that, even though he knew he'd be doing this in the morning?"

"He's been training by himself," the older man replied in a soft and slightly apologetic tone of voice. Augus glared at Ash's direction but it was more than likely the sword on Ash's back that he was directing that glare to. There wasn't even an ounce of regret in Augus about making the sword, but it was the fact that in the end, if Ash wanted to get better, then he'd have to do it alone while he stayed at their village. "There's no one in our village that could be his training partner. I used to be a Hunter but I'm not so confident in my hand-to-hand to be his partner. Even if I had my sword again, I'm not confident that I'd be able to help."

Weiss bit her lower lip in frustration. Once more, Ash was forced to train by himself and she wasn't able to do a thing about it. But more than that, she heard from Jaune that Ash had refused to wield a weapon when the two trained together and specifically stated that he wouldn't ever get the Atlas heavy sword repaired, and yet there it was on his back, fully repaired, like nothing had ever happened to it. And if he'd been training all this time, then would it be possible that he'd gotten even better than he was before? Would it be the same when they were younger? Could she defeat him now?

As much as she wanted those questions answered, she knew that the only way they could be is if she fought him, and considering that his scheduled trip to Menagerie was only hours away, she's lucky enough to have those questions answered soon. Then she remembered why they were there in the first place. The first being to help with the Grimm, and the second was to tell him that the Bullhead Ozpin prepared would be arriving later that night. Which, as bitter tasting it was to Weiss, meant that if she fails to convince him, it would be the last time they'd see him for a long… long while, if they meet him again in the future at all. Weiss breathed in slowly, gathering her courage before she spoke again.

"Ash, there's something you should know," Ash stopped and turned around, looking at her curiously, while her team looked at her worryingly. Weiss took one last breath before she continued. "Professor Ozpin sent us out here to tell you that the Bullhead to Menagerie will be here tonight."

For a long and suffocating moment, there was only silence between the six. Team RWBY looked at each other as if to ask for support, with the thought of not being able to see the dragon ever again after the day is over. Ruby, Blake, and Yang were mainly worried about Weiss, more so now than ever before due to the fact that she'd practically announced the fact that she'd been in love with the dragon to the world. There was also Lava to worry about. How would she take it? Would she take it negatively or would she be fine with it considering she'd be able to see him every now and then since she's able to fly freely? Augus only nodded as he worried about his daughter. The village would be able to understand, but his daughter might not want to see him go considering she'd been getting closer and closer to the boy. Ash was able to be the guidance she needed whenever Augus could not. The only reason why she'd be fine with letting him go is her natural intuition, for whatever it was worth. Ash himself on the other hand, remained emotionless.

"I see, then I'd best say my goodbye's," Ash said in his usual tone of voice before he turned around and began to walk towards the village again. Team RWBY and Augus remained still for another moment or two longer before they began to move as well, simply staring at the dragon's back, wondering if he had his wings, would it droop down slightly like his sister when she's in sorrow? While they were out of earshot, Ash spoke again in a whisper. "I have to make things all right between us. I'm sorry Miss Schnee, but this is the only way I know how."

* * *

Saying goodbye to the village was simple enough. Most understood, and while others couldn't, they knew that such an event was an inevitability. It was only Angela that flat out refused to understand and accept. However, it wasn't the fact that he was leaving that she couldn't accept; it was the fact that he was leaving his friends back at Beacon as well. She went on and on about how she thought that he'd be going back to Beacon and train as a Hunter to make the world a better, safer place, but when he told her about Menagerie, she immediately began to question him. He answered what he could but answered a few vaguely. Nevertheless, it wasn't enough for Angela. Which is why she was now going to Beacon along with Team RWBY and Ash.

Augus was on the ground, trying hard as to not laugh at how stubborn and cold his daughter seemed to be, though on the inside, he could see just how excited she was about going back to Vale, mainly the academy. He knew it had always been her dream to see Hunters and Huntresses in action, so when he got tired of his daughter refusing to listen to the dragon, he made this arrangement. Perhaps she could even find a weapon that really interests her and tell him about it so he could make it before he teaches her how to fight. He could see his wife in her: the same stubbornness, the same drive, the same sense of loyalty, therefore he knew he couldn't stop her from becoming a Huntress. He could only hope the world wouldn't be in more disarray when her generation becomes full fledged Hunters and Huntresses.

Soon the Bullhead was in flight towards Beacon and Ash decided to spend that time to catch up on the sleep that he'd decided to forgo when he decided to train at night. He leaned against the back of the Bullhead as he sat on the cold metal floor and closed his eyes, immediately falling asleep, having already exhausted a lot of his excess energy. The five girls all looked at Ash, peacefully sleeping without a single worry about the possibility of falling out of the Bullhead and to his death considering he currently had no Aura. He had a similar sleeveless shirt as he did earlier, but it was black in color and the skin-tight black shirt was once more around his chest and shoulders underneath.

It seemed that he immediately entered a dream by the way his eyes were furrowed and he was incoherently mumbling something. His hands were closed in to tight fists underneath the black gloves. Weiss looked at him worriedly, fighting the desire to place a hand on his cheek like she'd always done when she found him defenselessly asleep. Whatever he was dreaming about, she wanted to relieve him of it, anyway she could to help his sleep be much more peaceful, but she didn't know of any way to do just that. Instead she just sat down on the floor next to him and placed her head on his shoulder, sharing whatever body heat she could as if to tell him that he wasn't alone. And while it wasn't necessarily the picture she and Ash made the deal for, Yang was satisfied when she pulled out her scroll and took a picture of the moment. The whole two-hour journey, Weiss pretended to sleep next to Ash.

When Ash woke up a little over two hours later, he was greeted by the sight of Ruby, Blake, Yang, Glynda, Ozpin, Lava, and Angela all looking at him with Beacon academy serving as the background for the portrait. He turned his head slightly to the side, where a strange weight was on his shoulder and found a full head of long white hair tied into an off center bun. He looked back at the group and found most of them with teasing stares, but unfortunately for them the dragon was merely half awake and went right back to sleep.

When Ash woke up again, he found himself in a familiar shadow-covered room. He pushed himself off of the bed he found himself in and examined the room a little more carefully. It was just like any other dorm room in Beacon, a small cube room enough to properly fit a team of four, there was a bathroom to the far side wall, several drawers for clothes and a single closet on the opposite wall as the bathroom. The only true difference between the other dorm rooms and this one is that it only had one bed. His weapon was leaning against the foot is his bed, waiting for its owner to pick it up.

He smiled at his former dorm room before rushing over to the closet and drawer, pulling out certain pieces of clothes and laid it out on the bed before he went to the bathroom to get ready for the day. In half an hour, Ash found himself in front of the training room, serving as Glynda Goodwitch's classroom.

"And that's the match. Remember students, you—" Glynda was in the middle of a lecture after two students had finished their match when Ash walked in, interrupting her. He wore the formal suit that he wore when he was still Weiss' butler. On his back was the gray sheath he came to Beacon with, courtesy of the Sterling's. "Ah, Mister Valentine, welcome back. You're no longer a student here, so how may I help you?"

"One final duel will suffice, Miss Goodwitch," he said as he took his place at the arena while the students mumbled and whispered to themselves. Glynda gave him a nod and he looked to the crowd of students for his opponent. He saw many of the first year teams and strangely, even Teams CFVY and LAVA, as well as Angela were sitting on the benches, but he focused on Weiss Schnee with a glare and smirk. "Weiss Schnee, I challenge you to one final duel."

Weiss stood up with a glare and smirk of her own as she called her locker to arena. She made her way to the arena and took her place opposite of Ash. When her locker arrived, she retrieved her prized weapon, Myrtenaster before reaching in once more and pulling out Ash's bracer and metal gloves. She tossed the three items to the dragon and he put them on without question. Once both were ready, Ash pulled his sword out its sheath.

A gray blade in almost similar structure to the Atlas blade, only this one stretches out four feet and instead of the Atlas symbol on both sides of the guard, only one had it while the other was replaced with another: an symbol of a three pronged fire with a similar one lying within it at the base, with all three prongs seemingly in the process of shattering like glass.

"My dad calls it Mortuus Ignis," Angela explained quietly at the benches. She smiled at the sight of Ash wielding the sword and how, now, with the bracer and metal gloves, he looked like a knight from one of her fairy tales. Though, she doubted that she'd ever read a story where the knight would ever fight the princess, but she didn't mind. After all, she was there to see it with her own eyes. "He combined his sword with the one that Ash brought when he first came to our village, cause Ash said that the one he brought in was too light. My dad said it's the heaviest sword he'd ever make."

"Mortuus Ignis. Dead Fire. Ash," Jaune translated, having a sword named in similar language. They all looked at the sword, wondering exactly what the girl meant by too light. The Atlas sword was already too heavy for them, how much would Mortuus Ignis weigh?

"How about we make this a little bit more interesting?" Weiss asked the dragon confidently, surprising everyone in the room including herself. Ash let out a chuckle as he raised his sword so that the tip was pointed straight at Weiss. Glynda moved out of the arena and allowed the two to make a deal, even though her entire being screamed at her to stop them. "If I win, then you have to wait for a few days before you go to Menagerie, and you have to fulfill one last order from me."

"That's two benefits," Ash argued, but nodded in agreement anyway. Weiss grit her teeth at how easy he was able to accept such an unfair deal, but tried her best to hide her frustration, but the way Ash was looking at her told her that he knew. She expected him to say anything about it, but he didn't. "And in the event that I win? What do I get?"

"I'll erase you from my memories," Weiss replied with intent. At first Ash was taken by surprise much like everyone else, almost being forced to step back in shock, but the feeing disappeared when another feeling rose up: the feeling of being mocked. Instantly, he let his semblance flare, a high concentration of red smoke threatening to consume the air around him. "I'll pretend that I'd never even met you, that you'd never even existed. That's what you'd always wanted right?"

"Get ready Schnee," Ash said through grit teeth. The red smoke began to disappear, almost as if it was being sucked back inside the dragon's body. The two of them got into their stances. Weiss, standing ever so royally with her right hand not far behind her back, while her left hand gripped Myrtenaster and pointed the tip at him. Ash raised his armored left forearm and kept the gray sword close behind him, ready to be brought up front at a moment's notice. "Unlike when we were younger, I will not be holding back."


	43. Mistress And Servant

Ash was the first to act, rushing the heiress before she could create her glyphs and attack him from afar. He kept his left arm up in front of him as a small shield while he reeled his sword arm as far back as possible without giving away his intention. The moment he got closer enough to her, he swung his right arm forward to try and bring the heavy blade across the heiress' stomach horizontally. Weiss brought her weapon up to defend against the blow so the two blades would collide with one another with whoever could react the fastest would become the winner of the clash. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to hear Angela explain the difference in Ash's weapon.

When Mortuus Ignis made contact with Myrtenaster, the far lighter blade was easily pushed away and Weiss was left defenseless as the gray blade cut at her stomach as if trying to cut her in half. Weiss tried to recover from the blow as quickly as she could but in the end wasn't fast enough as Ash forced his sword to return to his right, driving the edge against Weiss' flat stomach one more time. This time, before the force of the blow could bring the dragon out of her sight again, Weiss created a white glyph on the floor in between them and before Ash could even see it, or go for another attack, a white sword jutted out of the glyph's center, pushing the dragon away with his Aura being the only reason why there wasn't a hole in his chest.

However, as lethal as the blow may have seemed to be, it only served to push back and inconvenienced Ash, as well as drain some of his Aura. Weiss tried to capitalize on it, stabbing her weapon into the ground and creating a line of large, sharp icicles starting from the blade, rushing to imprison Ash before his feet could even touch the ground. Try as he might, Ash wasn't able to maneuver while in the air, not without his wings. The ice, almost as if it was alive, reached out to the dragon encasing every bit of his body except for his chest and head. Weiss took her time to recover from the damage she'd taken earlier before making her way to Ash, time that she would wish she hadn't wasted.

Red smoke began to pour out of Ash's pores, contaminating the air around him, even contaminating crystal clear ice that served as his prison. With one scream of frustration, Ash broke free of the ice, sending small, sharp icicles at the heiress and at their audience. His feet touched the ground and he could've ran towards the heiress, but instead he let the excess momentum drain, until his left hand's fingers touched the ground. With his semblance still active, when he propelled himself using both his legs and his left hand, Weiss was barely able to blink as Ash was already in front of her, bringing his left hand, tightly closed into a fist to her stomach.

Her eyes opened wide and her eyes seemed to be trying to climb out of their sockets as Ash's fist pushed her stomach back to the point where, in her mind, she could feel his knuckles touching her spine. She tried to get away as soon as her eyes weren't trying to climb out anymore, but she found her legs unresponsive. She could only watch as threw another blow, striking her diaphragm, ridding her of all of her breath and forcing her to lurch over. For a moment, her consciousness drifted away. Not once had Ash ever throw more than small blows at her to drain her Aura and render her immobile, but now that he was putting every single bit of his strength into every single blow, with an additional boost from his semblance, she missed their time sparring together.

She smiled at how different it was now than back then. Whereas she found his small blows a nuisance when they were younger, he found his blows now hurtful, as if he was actually trying to destroy her smaller form. She recovered what little she could and looked up, expecting to see the dragon throw another blow to finish her off, but instead she found a sympathetic look on Ash's face somewhere in the angered frown. His look at her with worried, shaking eyes as if he was afraid that he'd hurt her way too much. The look in his eyes asked her, begged her to give up, but another part of it wanted her to win. Ash turned around and began to walk away from her, as if he'd already won, but who could blame him? It was obvious that the heiress was barely holding on to what little breath she hadn't lost.

Weiss stabbed Myrtenaster into the ground once more and created a snaking trail of ice until it suddenly became a solid block of ice in front of Ash, blocking him from walking away from her, until he had made sure that she could no longer fight. She straightened her posture as best she could but her knees were still shaking and mostly unresponsive. Her Aura should've mitigated any permanent damage, but whatever Ash did to her was still affecting her. Once more, she expected Ash to attack her again before she could even recover, but he just turned around and stood there, looking at her, waiting for her to recover.

"The heiress should've been able to dodge his attacks," Aaron said as he gripped the chair in front of him with both hands, paying close attention to the duel, trying to learn how Ash attacks so he could use it against him, ignoring the fact that the dragon's plan on going to Menagerie. "I get that she was caught of guard with the first one, but the second one? It was heavily telegraphed. She could've taken a step back and would've been fine. We know she saw it coming for her."

"A blow to the solar plexus," Pyrrha said almost in a whisper as she remembered her fight with Ash, where she was placed in the same position. They all, save for her team, looked at her with curious expressions, pressuring her to explain what she meant. Pyrrha, of course, gave them what they wanted, meaning to in the first place. "A blow to the solar plexus will take away your ability to even lift your feet. I can only imagine what a blow with that kind of strength could do. On top of that, he hit her diaphragm. If he attacks now, then this duel is over."

"Right… so how come he isn't?" Valora asked as her gaze drifted upwards to the monitor displaying both combatants' Aura levels. Ash, being only struck once, was at 95 percent, a clear lead over Weiss who was already down to 60 percent of her maximum Aura level. She turned her attention back to the arena where Weiss was still barely standing trying to get back her breath, and Ash was waiting for her. "She looks like she'll fall over if he just breathed on her. It should be an easy win for him right now."

"It's because a part of him doesn't want to," Lava explained, her lips upturned into a small smile directed at her brother, as she looked at the hidden troubled expression on his glowering look. She turned her attention to Valora for a moment, and tapped the golden ring on her left hand. "Would you want you him to forget you? Pretend that you never even existed? Those two aren't engaged but it's practically the same situation."

"But that doesn't matter unless she could turn this duel around," Blake commented, earning her a hum in agreement from everyone except for Lava, who turned her attention to the heiress with a large and confident grin. Blake saw the small movement and turned, wondering what the female dragon could be thinking, having so much confidence in a futile fight. "I don't know what you're smiling about, but if Ash can put her in a state like that again, Miss Goodwitch will end it."

"Well, who says she's going back into a state like that again?" Lava countered, tapping her fingertips on the empty chair in front of her, anxiously waiting for something that the rest didn't know. She looked over to her brother, trying to hold back her laughter at how naïve and predictable she was. "Trust me, he's going to regret not ending this now."

Weiss' knees nearly crumbled beneath her, with only her willpower and Myrtenaster keeping her standing. She knew that should she fall now, Glynda would call the match, and whatever chance she thought she had to convince him would be lost forever. She'd never admit it, but no matter how the duel ended, making the deal with Ash, mainly her decision to say that she'd forget him, would always be something she'd regret. It seemed a bit bittersweet to her how Ash was holding back this much whenever the two would spar. It seemed understandable for him to do so because of his desire to hide his true origins from her, but compared to his smaller strikes to joints and other weak areas, these large blows seemed to be a lot more effective.

Ash continued to watch her recover, causing a little bit of confusion and a lot of frustration in the heiress. She knew that in her state, a single attack, be it hand to hand or sword, she'd go down and the duel would be called in his favor, yet there he was, standing as still as a statue, simply waiting for her to recover. Weiss, with her breathing still somewhat labored, gathered whatever breath and courage she could and spoke.

"What's wrong? I thought… you weren't going to be holding… back on me?" Weiss chided, trying to fake a laugh with what little breath she had. Ash tightened his grip on his sword and planted his right foot on the ground, trying is best to not let the heiress' words drive him into attacking. Weiss frowned, knowing that her attempt had failed whether it was for the better or for the worse. "You're getting too… confident. You're not… winning this."

Ash said nothing in return. Instead he took a step forward and stabbed the tip of Mortuus Ignis into the ground similar to Weiss but did nothing else. In the corner of his eye, he saw Glynda take a step forward ready to end the duel, calling his win, but Ash released his grip on his sword and held it up, stopping the professor in her tracks. Both watched Weiss correct her posture and pull her rapier out of the ground. She got back into her stance, brandishing the tip of the blade towards the male dragon. Glynda took a step back, and continued to watch final duel between mistress and servant.

"You wouldn't have made such a deal is you weren't at least a bit confident in your chances of winning," Ash called out as he gripped his sword once more. Weiss made no notion to reply, simply focusing on her recovery and allowing Ash to try and provoke her like she provoked him. The only difference between the two attempts is that the condition of the provoked. Weiss looked up with an angry expression of her own, but couldn't do much about it considering her condition. "Show me. You had to have been working beyond your body's limits these past three months. What have you been hiding from me, Schnee?"

Without saying a single word, Weiss created a single white glyph above her, just a foot away. Before Ash could continue to goad at her, she jumped. Planting her feet at the surface of the glyph, Weiss pushed herself off of it and with a little help from the glyph itself; she propelled herself towards Ash with her rapier extended, aiming for the dragon's heart. Ash, barely able to react in time, felt the blade run across his chest as he twisted his body to the side. When Myrtenaster struck and impaled the ground, Ash was suddenly engulfed in a pillar of flame, leaving him to slightly panic, rolling out of the pillar and trying to put out whatever licks of flame remained on him. However, he soon regretted taking his eyes away from the battle as he caught a large, sharp, icicle to his stomach pushing him away before shattering, blinding him for a moment as he staggered back. When he managed to look back at the heiress, he found her within arm's reach of him already thrusting her prized blade at his unguarded body.

The tip of the blade struck his body several times, successfully draining his Aura even further to put her back in the fight. The series of attacks had placed Ash's Aura level down to 80 percent, definitely better than where it was before, but as far as she was concerned, it was a failure considering she couldn't catch up in terms of damage dealt. Knowing that the possibility of the small thrusts stunning the dragon longer to allow for another attack was slim at best, Weiss jumped back as far as she could before Ash could counter attack. She looked back at him and bit back a curse when she saw that at most, Ash was only very slightly hurt, as if she'd just annoyed him. If it weren't for the fact that she could look up and see her actual progress displayed on the holographic monitor above, she would've tried to attack again, no matter how reckless it was.

Ash, on the other hand, tried to hide exactly how much the heiress' attack actually hurt, and considering the frustrated expression he could see on her, he'd been able to do just that. It took all he had to force his body to stay up straight throughout the heiress' attack when all it wanted was to curl up and clutched the struck areas in pain. He wanted to laugh at his shock at how aggressive the heiress had suddenly become, fighting back the desire to continue to goad her to see how much more aggressive he could make her. He dared not take his eyes away from the heiress, but off to the side, he could guess that his sister was smiling mischievously at the two of them.

Weiss was the first to engage again, creating half a dozen glyphs around the dragon, immediately unleashing a barrage of white illusionary swords at the dragon. Ash focused his attention on the swords, deflecting what he could with his sword and bracer, and dodging whatever was left. Meanwhile, Weiss was making her way to any of Ash's blind spot, still recovering from Ash's body blows. Her breath was returning back to normal, but her knees were still somewhat weak from the blow she took to her solar plexus. She could only watch Ash struggle against the illusionary blades, but none of them had managed to land a single hit on the dragon.

In the corner of his eye, Ash caught sight of Weiss trying to recover, and pulled the sheath from his back, keeping it in his left hand. He used it once to deflect a sword before throwing it at Weiss like a javelin. Weiss saw the attempt and easily dodged it by diving to the side, leaving the scabbard to fly through the crowd of students and clatter as it hit the ground. However, it proved to be enough of a distraction to cause the heiress' concentration to fluctuate, forcing the white glyphs to disappear. Ash, now unburdened by the flying sword, rushed Weiss the moment he could.

Weiss turned in time to see Ash swing the heavy blade down, and as twitch reaction, she held her weapon up to block, spinning the chamber with her right hand until her blade was coated in a red tint. When Mortuus Ignis made contact with Myrtenaster, an unnatural force blew the heavy blade back and along with, Ash's right arm. Left defenseless, Ash was forced to watch Weiss create another white glyph on the floor between them and from it, a larger sword came flying out, striking Ash's chest pushing him into the air once more.

Weiss jumped and steadied herself before Ash could even land on the ground. She created four more, smaller glyphs around her with a single swipe of her rapier and small orbs of white light came out from them. In a matter of mere moments, all four lights wrapped themselves around Ash's wrists and ankles before turning into their own glyphs, simply keeping Ash afloat and immobile. Weiss jumped to him as fast as she could, watching him struggle against the glyphs, slowly breaking free from them as cracks began to appear on the surfaces. Weiss stabbed at Ash's chest and stomach five times in quick succession before creating one more glyph behind her.

Once she had landed on the ground below, a right arm clad in shining white armor with a large great sword appeared from the glyph. The arm brought the giant sword up before slamming the edge on the dragon's body as hard as it possibly could. The four glyphs that held Ash up in the air shattered immediately and the dragon wasn't able to do a thing to stop or even slow down the momentum transferred to him. His body hit the ground with such a force that it planted him in to the arena and caused the entire room to shake lightly. However, Weiss had yet to finish her attack. A dozen glyphs appeared in a circle above Ash and a barrage of illusionary swords flew towards Ash, crashing against his body while the knight's right arm returned to Weiss' side.

When Weiss was sure that she'd finally won, the barrage stopped and the glyphs disappeared. For a moment, there was only silence in the room with everyone watching the hole where Ash was in anticipation to see if the heiress had truly won and if the dragon was still conscious, or if he was even alive. Weiss looked over to the professor, as if asking her to call the match and name her the winner of the duel. However, after a moment, Glynda still continued to refuse to name a winner, Weiss looked up at the holographic monitor. Her Aura level remained at 60 percent, but whereas she thought Ash's Aura would've been completely drained, it read that he still had 30 percent remaining.

Weiss looked back at the dragon and found Mortuus Ignis lodged horizontally in the hole, and just underneath it was Ash, dirtied, but more or less all right. She muttered a silent curse directed at herself for thinking that Ash would be beaten so easily and simply watched Ash pull the gray blade free from the ground and got up as if nothing had ever happened. The only indication that Ash had taken damage other than the dust he's brushing off, was that the rubber band that held his long hair into a small ponytail had snapped, allowing his hair flow down to his shoulders. Weiss got back into her stance again, preparing for another clash with the dragon.

"I wonder why Ash is acting like this," Angela said with clear disappointment evident in the tone of her voice. No one paid much attention to the comment, figuring that the girl had barely seen Ash fight at all, or that she meant the difference in attitude and emotion. Though her next comment caused slight interest and fear in Lava. "I've seen him train against Grimm a few times, and he usually just keeps attacking. He looked like a bird, flying through the sky like that."

"Angela? Can I hear more about that the training he did?" Lava asked, as normally as she could, turning to the young girl's direction, and while Angela remained oblivious to it, the caution in the dragon's voice was evident to everyone else. Angela turned to Lava as well, 'secretly' stealing glances at the large wings protruding from her back. "Does he ever let go of that sword of his?"

"Yeah, how'd you know? Did he learn it from you?" Angela replied innocently with a smile, but Lava never witnessed it as she turned as quickly as she could to the arena with fear in her eyes.

"Weiss! Don't try to block! Dodge his attacks!" Lava screamed at the top of her lungs, not caring that outside help, no matter how small was forbidden during a duel. The students and the professor looked at her as if she had lost her sanity. To most, the duel was clearly in Weiss' favor, just a little more and she would win, but to Lava it was as if the heiress had just lost. "Do you hear me!? Don't let him trap you!"

Before anyone could have the chance to ask, and before Weiss could have the chance to turn away even for a brief moment, Ash activated his semblance, allowing the red smoke to engulf him completely. Then, much to the confusion of most and to the fear from Lava, he just tossed his sword high into the air, spinning towards Weiss.

"Don't turn away from him!" Lava screamed at the top of her lungs once more, her voice echoing in the large room, but it was already too late. Weiss kept her eyes trained at the gray sword, and before she even could understand what Lava had meant, she received another blow to the solar plexus, this one much stronger than the one previous. Weiss' body lurched forward as she felt small bursts of electricity run through her body.

Ash spun to her side in time to see the knight's arm swing it's sword down, as if not caring that it's master was right next to him. Ash met the giant blade with his armored left hand and with the assistance of his semblance, deflected the huge blade, though a small portion of his Aura was still drained. He turned back to Weiss and brought his left fist crashing against her side, pushing against her liver and ribs, causing her eyes to come bulging out again. While she recovered, Ash looked up and saw his sword closer than ever, but the knight had recovered before Mortuus Ignis could come within arm's reach.

Ash jumped up as the knight swung its sword horizontally towards the dragon. As it completed its swing, hitting nothing more than air and dust, Ash landed on the flat of the blade and used it as a springboard to jump even higher, grabbing his sword out of the air and spinning towards the armor. The knight raised its sword to block whatever strike the dragon was going to make with the broadside of its blade. Ash dove towards the knight headfirst reeling his left fist back and forcing it to crash against the giant sword. With his semblance helping him, Ash forced the sword out of the knight's hand before jumping towards the armored right hand, slicing it half by the elbow. Soon both what remained of the arm and the giant sword dissipated into the white mist.

With the knight out of the way, Ash quickly turned his gaze towards the heiress. Once more, Ash tossed his sword into the air, spinning towards Weiss, before he ran towards her with his semblance still active. Weiss tried to create a glyph to try and shoot the gray blade out of the air and hopefully force it out of the arena, but before she could even make a gesture to make it, Ash was already in front of her, spinning clockwise to bring the heel of his right shoe to her temple.

Unable to react the attack, Weiss was left stumbling to the side with blurry vision and a massive headache as her Aura tried its best to mitigate the damage and get everything back to normal. However, before her vision could return to what it was before, she felt Ash's fist crashing against her diaphragm, once more, ridding her of the air in her lungs and rendering her unconscious for another brief second. But unlike before, when her consciousness returned, she was on the ground facing the ceiling, in a crater that was mysteriously shaped like her back. Her whole body hurt especially her neck, where she could still feel the remnant of what seemed to be a hand gripping it. Ash was standing two meters away from her with his sword now back in his right hand, waiting for the blonde professor to name him the winner, like Weiss had done before.

"I can't believe that witch," Lava muttered as she faced the ground below her, gripping the chair in front of her as hard as she could with both hands, very nearly destroying the back rest. She was gritting her teeth in frustration, now unsure about the outcome of the duel. At first, she could've confidently told anyone that Weiss would win, but as she looked up at the monitor, that confidence was now nothing more than a pile of rubble. "She just had to interfere. She couldn't just let it be. Ah! She's lucky that she's already dead. I want to kill her right now."

"Lava, calm down. What's going on?" Aaron tried his best to calm his partner, but it only served to convince her to grip the backrest harder until it broke in her hands, leaving her gripping the bits and pieces of it. The wolf looked at the monitor above the arena and bit his lip in frustration. Due to him deflecting the knight's sword, Ash's Aura level was now at 27 percent, but Weiss, from having an Aura level of 60 percent, was now at 18. "Who's the witch? Who's dead?"

"My mother. Our mother," Lava finally looked up, letting go of the pieces of plastic and metal that dared to penetrate her palm. She glared at her brother, wishing she could read his expression, but with his long hair covering most of his features, she wasn't able to. "I don't know when, I don't know how, but she's the only one that could've taught him. That's the same fighting style as the first Vargas. It uses the dragons' stronger physique and a bit of misdirection, a mixture of hand to hand and swordplay. You take your eyes off the dragon then the sword gets you, but take your eyes off the sword then the dragon gets you."

"Kind of convenient that those two just happen to be Ash's favorite ways of fighting doesn't it?" Blake retorted, glaring at the dragon, as well as her teammate's decreasing chances of winning. Luckily, Ash, once again, waited for the heiress to recover, but no matter how hard she thought, no matter how many simulations she could run through her head, Blake couldn't find a way to help her teammate. "How can she beat it? There has to be a way around it right? I mean the first Vargas died in a fight right?"

"He died against a large horde of Grimm," Lava corrected, fully understanding what Blake was thinking, but it served them no purpose. Ash wasn't up against Grimm at the time being, but a lone human. Blake cursed and sank in her seat in defeat with her only idea to turn the tables again immediately extinguished. Lava was on the verge of doing the same as well, but held on to a string of hope that there would be at least something. "He's waiting for Weiss to recover… why? Even if a part of him doesn't want to win, it doesn't make sense why he would wait this long."

"Because Ash wants a memorable fight," Nora answered, her hands curled into tight fists as she remembered the fight between Pyrrha and Ash. To say that she was frustrated would be an understatement, while she couldn't understand why Ash would want to be forgotten, she could understand the pain of being alone, especially if someone would have to erase a childhood friend from his or her memories. She looked to Ren for support, and he was happy to give it as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Pyrrha, do you remember when you fought him? The reason why he asked to fight you without the usual rules in matches? He's just trying to do the same here, but the rules stop him. So I think, he wants the fight to continue for as long as he could help it."

"But it's still the same Ash, right?" Ruby asked immediately, though it didn't seem that she was worried, rather, it seemed that she was hopeful. She turned to Angela with eyes that seemed to be brimming with elation. "Angela, when Ash was training with Grimm, was it alone or was it a pack?"

"It was usually alone," the young girl answered after taking a moment to think about the question. Ruby nearly jumped out of her skin in delight at the answer, a big, victorious smile gracing her features. The others looked at her, confused, wondering why the answer to the question was something to be celebrated. "But there was this one time where he was taking on four at a time, he still got hit a few times, but he did this thing and they all just ran away for some reason."

"It's ok, we got what we need. If there's anything I learned in Professor Oobleck's class, it's that history likes to repeat itself," Ruby stood up as fast as she could and took in the deepest breath she'd ever taken before. Her friends around her immediately covered their ears, knowing the girl's intent, and with that high-pitched voice of hers, it could do irrevocable damage. "Weiss! Ash is still weak against Grimm! The first Vargas died because of Grimm!"

The room was quiet for a moment, with some trying to shake their heads free of the girl's echoing voice inside their heads. All eyes were on her, including both Weiss and Ash. The heiress simply looked at the bright smile on her partner whilst she clutched her stomach in slight pain. At first, she was confused, but soon realized Ruby's clear hint. She quickly knelt down while Ash was still distracted by Ruby and focused her emotions, anger, frustration, desire, and sorrow, anything that could enhance her semblance. The floor around her began to glow, as a dozen glyphs appeared one by one before a figure materialized on each and every single one of them. Grimm, Boarbatusks, Beowolves, Ursai, and Creeps, all ones that she'd vanquished before appeared in a white glow by her side. At first, many students, even Glynda for a brief second, were stunned at what they had just witnessed, but the one thing that mattered was that Ash was stunned as well.

Weiss stood up rather shakily. Her head throbbed from overuse of her semblance; especially an aspect of it that she had barely began to learn how to control not too recently. It was as if she had a heart beating inside her skull, but nevertheless she pushed through it, trusting in her partner's words. With a single swipe of her weapon, the illusionary Grimm charged at Ash. Weiss' knees immediately buckled, forcing her onto the ground again, but this time she didn't need to worry about Ash possibly attacking her.

Ash was busy dodging claws, teeth, and tails to worry about the heiress, whether he wanted to check if she was all right or if he wanted to attack her and end the duel before he could have his Aura drained by the illusionary Grimm. With a dozen Grimm on him and a very limited amount of space to maneuver in, Ash could barely attack back, only able to swing his sword every once in a while though at most he could just knick one of his opponents without exposing himself to any danger.

"How long do you guys think he can keep that up?" Aiden asked, as he kept switching his gaze between Ash and the monitor above every time he thought he saw an attack actually land on the dragon, only for the monitor above to prove him wrong when he saw his Aura remain at 27 percent. He looked to Lava and the junior teams and watched most of them exhibit some form of anxious or frustrated expression. "What's wrong with all of you?"

"Aiden, dragons are supposed to fly easily in the sky," Lava explained, attracting attention to herself, while she never took her eyes away from her brother somewhere in the sea of glowing white Grimm. She didn't need to look at her large teammate to know that the bit of information she'd provided confused him, and frankly she couldn't blame him. "We're born with thicker blood than any human or Faunus to compensate for the thin amount of oxygen up there. Kind of like how some people train in the mountains to get similar results. As far as I know, he could keep dodging for hours without ever being tired."

"Well, it doesn't look like we'll be watching him do that for even a minute longer," Aaron said in slight panic. They all looked back at the arena, trying to look for Ash. A simple task considering a plume of angry red smoke, roughly fifteen feet tall was currently overwhelming the white clad Grimm. After another second, they saw Ash jump up until he was nearly touching the ceiling fifty feet high. He seemed to be absorbing the red smoke into his body as he rose until it was all focused on his left arm. "Everyone hold on to something!"

At his words, the audience held on to their seats and watched the dragon crash down from the ceiling hitting the middle of the congregation of illusionary Grimm. A large crater appeared at the spot of the arena he landed on, spreading out to the building's walls as cracks that ran across the floor like an electricity current. Glynda acted fast, bringing out her riding crop and activating her semblance to repair the room before it collapsed on them all, but she wasn't fast enough to prevent the window glass from shattering from the shockwave of Ash's attack, nor was she able to prevent it from shaking the entire academy.

When the shaking stopped, Glynda was able to repair the damages that her son had done and they were all able to look at what happened on the arena. Both Weiss and Ash were kneeling on the ground nearly motionless except for their heavy pants, the dragon especially. The Grimm Weiss had summoned earlier had all disappeared, either due to incurring severe damage from shrapnel of the floor caused by Ash's strike, or due to Weiss no longer able to keep them real any longer. In the monitor above, Weiss' Aura level remained at 18 percent, whereas Ash's Aura had decreased all the way down to 16 percent, just above the critical level, keeping him in the duel.

As both caught their breath, Glynda was on her scroll, left to explain to Ozpin as to what caused the tremor he'd felt all the way up in his office, then soon after that, Professor Port, Oobleck, and Peach. In the stands, some of the students remained shaken up by what just occurred, leading a small few to wonder if that was how Ash had caused Mountain Glenn to collapse. Angela was the worst of them all. Not once had she ever been a witness to Ash's semblance other than its anomaly and the boost in speed, the main portion of it, the strength boost portion, quickly became something she never wanted to see again.

"What in all of Remnant was that?" Valora asked in a shaky and quiet tone of voice, unable to figure out if it was the shockwave from Ash's desperate attack that was still causing her to shake or if it was just fear. She looked around and saw mixed emotions in everyone: awe, fear, panic, interest, and even hope. She looked back at the arena and found Ash panting even harder than before, as if he's just gone on a run around the world. "He looks like he's about to collapse. Ah! I'm getting off track. What just happened? What did he do?"

"Ash's semblance allows him to get stronger than he normally is, but it all depends on how much he gives it in return," Yang began to explain, as she stared at the tired male dragon. She remembered how he nearly destroyed the room arena before, when he was up against Team CRDL, but now, if it wasn't for their professor, the room may have been nothing more than ruins. His Aura level decreased by 12 percent, but considering how exhausted he looked now, they could guess that he'd sacrificed more. "He can use his Aura or the reserve energy in his body as a sacrifice. Just how far are you willing to destroy your body for, you dumb dragon? Is being forgotten really that important to you?"

"But look. He doesn't look like he can move a lot anymore," Jaune pointed out as Ash forced himself to stand up by stabbing his sword into the ground next to him, but even with the added stability, he still looked like he'd fall over if a light breeze were to hit him. For a moment, Jaune smiled, but immediately lost that elation when he saw Weiss. She was still on the ground, with no one even sure is she could even make the effort to stand up anymore. "Come on, Ice Queen. Stand up, all you need is one more glyph and you win."

"Jaune," Pyrrha called out in a small voice, clapping her partner on the shoulder. He turned to her with an obviously faked smile, while she looked at him with a crestfallen expression. He knew what she was going to say; even a fool like him could figure it out from a single glance. "It'll be a miracle if Weiss could stand up right now. She'd exhausted herself both physically and mentally. She tried to overwhelm him with her semblance and bet everything on that, but it just wasn't enough."

"Come on Weiss! Get up!" Angela screamed with whatever courage she had in her tiny body. She couldn't accept the Ash that stood in front of them now. For the brief moment of the impact of his last attack and even slightly less so now, she could see him as nothing more than a monster. If the people around her had already lost hope that the heiress could win, then she'd be the last one to give it up. "You just need to hit him one more time!"

As if encouraged by the sound of the young girl's cheering, Weiss stabbed her rapier into the ground and slowly stood back up, but much like Ash, she looked severely unstable. Everyone knew that at this point in the duel, the first person to strike would win the duel, no matter how small the attack could be. Both combatants were on their final legs, only held together by their desire to win and nothing more.

It was Ash that took the initiative, releasing his sword tip from the ground and taking small steps towards the heiress though kept the edge of his blade, on the ground, dragging it behind him. Both he and Weiss had their eyes on the ground, unable to even see each other, only knowing that somewhere ahead of them was the other. To both, the world had gone quiet and everything was already becoming dark. If anything was being said, then they couldn't hear it. The match could've been over by now, but considering how no one had yet to physically stop them, they could guess that it wasn't the case. All they wanted to do was sleep; sleep until their nightmare was over, but for that to happen someone had to be crowned the winner. Though before, it had been such a giant factor in their duel, the two had momentarily forgotten about the deal they made, now only awake to see the end of the match.

"Weiss, he's coming!" Angela continued to yell, but the heiress refused to move. Even as Ash got closer and closer, she refused to move. "Weiss!

"Angela," Ruby called out in a soft voice, placing a hand on the younger girl's shoulder. Angela turned to her in worry, only to see Ruby with small beads of tears in the corners of her eyes. "You can stop calling out to her. They can't even hear us anymore."

"They both lost consciousness a while ago," Pyrrha explained, not really sure how to explain it herself. For a moment, they all just watched Ash drag his blade over to Weiss for a decisive blow. When Ash was stood in front of Weiss, in reach of his sword, his semblance flickered on and off until a very light layer of the red smoke engulfed his body. "The winner of this duel was decided a long time ago."

Ash raised his sword high with the assistance of his semblance, high enough to at least knock the heiress over if he just let gravity do the work. For once in a short while, he was finally able to see Weiss again. She lifted her head high enough to look at him in the eyes as well, before looking up at the raised sword. With a small smile, she dropped her head again, as if to accept her fate, but the air behind Ash began to glow. Ash looked back and found the armored right arm he'd cut in half earlier, raising its giant great sword up in the air like he was.

Weiss continued to smile, knowing that her sneak attack had half succeeded and half failed. In her mind, she had ran multiple simulations in her head, trying to figure out any way for her to win, but she never found one, instead she decided to force the duel into a draw. At least if it's a draw, the deal they made would be null and void and she wouldn't have to forget about Ash. The knight was far back enough so that its giant blade would strike them both, and end the duel by draining their Aura level into the critical level if not completely. She looked up again, expecting to see either Ash try to drain her Aura before the knight could drain his, or even save himself by dodging to the side, but instead she found eyes looking at her full of worry and fear. For a moment, she felt warm arms wrap around her and the hard ground against her back before she completely blacked out, her last sight wasn't that of Ash in the arena, but of a five year old dragon pushing her out of the way of an oncoming vehicle.

Ash had blood running down his cheeks and neck from a gash in his head, after having the knight's blade slam against him, draining his Aura completely and knocking him unconscious, before disappearing when the heiress lost consciousness. His sword was on top of Myrtenaster, much like their owners were now. In his arms was the heiress, sleeping soundly remaining at 18 percent of her maximum Aura. Though it hardly mattered to them at the time being, both of them were now over the line marking the edge of the arena.

Lava immediately made her way to the two unconscious people at the front. She placed her hands on Ash's head, mainly at the bloody gash, and activated her semblance, healing the wound before it could have the chance to further soak her brother in a red tint. Every student soon looked over to the professor, waiting for her to announce the winner, even though they knew it was hardly the most important thing at the moment. But they all had to wonder what the result was, considering what was at stake, and as their professor, Glynda had to announce it.

"Miss Schnee was forced out of the arena before Mister Valentine's Aura could be drained. Therefore the winner of this duel is Ash Valentine."


	44. Mine And Mine Alone

**I Apologize For The Day-Late Update. I Just Didn't Have It Done In Time.**

* * *

Weiss woke up hours after her duel with Ash already racked with a splitting headache before she could even begin to open her eyes, only to have it become worse the moment her eyes slowly opened to blinding lights. Her whole body still stung, especially her abdomen, but there didn't seem to be any permanent or at the very least, long lasting damage anywhere on her. Flashes of her most recent duel came to her like a flood until they all formed the seemingly long back and forth duel playing rapidly in her mind, remembering the last few moment before she fell unconscious especially. She slowly pushed herself up, straining the sore abdominal muscles and took in her surroundings.

White walls and ceiling with equally white curtains and bed sheets. If she didn't know any better, she would've mistaken it as a smaller room in the Schnee family house. However, her memory and the fact that a peacefully sleeping Ash Valentine was on a bed next to hers proved otherwise. The infirmary. Like Ash, she'd gotten sick of the near suffocating atmosphere the slightly spacious room gave, whether it was due to the fact that she'd been there far too many times than any other current student or if it was because of the blinding white that reminded her of the Schnee household. The only indication of time she had in the room was the light coming from the outside, a stunning light orange as the sun was beginning to set.

Weiss frowned slightly in both curiosity and fear as a dilemma hit her harder than anything before: the only part she didn't know about duel was which of them had actually won. She had no confidence in her chances of winning in the final moment, and with her plan, the only outcomes of the match would have to be either a draw like she'd hoped and planned, or Ash winning in the final moments. She looked over to Ash and simply took in his form.

He was still the same as she last remembered. Shoulder length hair, similar to Ruby's, spread out just beneath his head now that the rubber band that had kept it in a small ponytail was cut. He still wore the suit that he did when he was her butler, though now, it looked a bit constricting since he had gotten a bit taller. It seemed like someone else had noticed the same thing and had removed the top two buttons on the white shirt he wore underneath the black jacket, as well as removed the tie that she'd always find him complaining about whenever he thought he was alone. If it weren't for her headache, she would've appreciated the fact that the white blanket remained underneath him, instead of over him, like the way he'd always preferred it.

She wanted to go over to him and shake him awake, but held back when the question of what to ask first came flooding in abruptly into her head. Would it be better to nonchalantly ask whether or not he was all right even if, at least for a very small moment, while they were fighting she was actually trying to kill him? She knew that to someone else, the question was a simple one, formed from nothing more than some ridiculous fear, but she also wasn't someone else. Several times she found herself tempted to get up and shake him awake, each time with a different reason, with a different question, but each time she held back, knowing that by doing whatever she asked first their conversation would end up at the duel.

In a mere few moments, another thought came to mind. It wasn't a question like all the others, but a realization: the sun will set soon, meaning that is he'd been declared the winner, then the Bullhead that is set to take him to Menagerie would be arriving soon if it hadn't already. She searched her pockets and then the room for her scroll and Ash's for any possible clue as to what may have happened, but found neither of them nearby, both taken away from her pockets like a robbed victim. She got up and made her way over to the dragon and simply looked at him as she stood over him.

Minutes passed by her quickly, as she took in his form trying to think of what to do, what to ask, and if she needed to, possibly even try one last time to convince him to stay. She walked away from him momentarily and pulled a chair to the side of his bed and sat down, taking his right in both of hers and resting her head on them before closing her eyes. She didn't know how much time passed, or if she had actually even fell asleep, but she just stayed there until someone shook her, forcing her to look up. Her eyes first went to Ash, checking if he was the one who shook her, but he was still asleep. She then looked behind her and found Ruby, alone, looking at her with a worried expression with some hints of hidden fear in her pure silver eyes.

"You ok? You tired yourself out during your guys' fight," Ruby said looking to Ash as well as if to check on his condition, only to let out a hum at his unchanged state. Ruby fished out Weiss' scroll from her pocket and handed it to the heiress, who immediately snatched out of her hands and took a look at her Aura level. She wasn't surprised to see that it was full; after all, it had been several hours since the duel. "According to Miss Goodwitch, Ash probably used up the rest of his reserve energy at the last moment, so he won't be waking up anymore today. But it's just a guess since we don't really have a way of measuring how much reserve energy he might still have."

"Ruby, what happened? I lost consciousness right at the very end. Who won?" Weiss asked with urgency in her tone of voice. Ruby looked away from her partner, unsure of how to tell the heiress their professor's judgment of the duel. However, the simple action was enough to tell Weiss exactly what she needed to know. She bit her lip lightly and unknowingly squeezed Ash's hand. "I see, so I lost. The deal. I have to forget him, pretend that he never even existed. I can never beat him, can I?"

"It was really close! Ash lost the rest of his Aura at the last second. Your last attack drained it and left him with a head wound," Ruby explained, trying to form any excuse to escape explaining exactly what happened for the heiress to lose the way she did, but she knew she wouldn't last long. However, what she didn't expect was that it wasn't her partner's usual stare that demanded the truth that broke her; it was the blank expression she showed. "He pushed you out of the boundaries. You hit the floor before your knight's sword hit him. It really was a close match, you know. If he didn't use the rest of his energy then he wouldn't have been able to push you fast enough to win."

"Ruby, I don't think it was his intent to win," Weiss said dejectedly, tightening her grip on Ash's hand from frustration. The fact that he won when he wasn't even planning on doing so echoed through her head like a mantra, as if to forever brand the memory, ensuring that she never forgets it. However, at the same time, she praised his innocence, even if it was only expressed for a moment. "I tried to force the match to a draw. He saw through it and saved me from it, like he's been doing all these years. I don't even think he knew we were at the edge."

"We can keep it a secret from him," Ruby suggested guiltily, earning her a slight glare from Weiss. Though, through the glare, she could easily see the heiress contemplating the decision. Both knew that each were uncomfortable with keeping such a thing a secret from the dragon, each with a different reason as to why. Ruby wouldn't be able to lie as well, while Weiss would be plagued with guilt. "We can tell him that he lost and you won. We'll just tell everyone to go along with that story."

"Ruby, could you live with that? He won fair and square, who are we to take it away from him?" Weiss challenged even though the temptation of lying to the dragon beat at her willpower to no end. Ruby let out a sigh in defeat and looked to Ash apologetically, fully knowing that he currently couldn't see her for it to really matter. For a moment, Weiss just stared at Ash with no other thought going through her mind other than his condition. "He deserves to know that he won, that the training he did these last few months haven't been wasted. I'll tell him. I'll take responsibility for it, and then I'll fulfill my end of our deal."

Ruby left Weiss a few minutes later, promising to return even sooner with a light dinner for her. Weiss was left alone, trying to find a way to tell Ash everything while trying to remain either emotionless or at the very least, keep herself from looking even the least bit disappointed at the result of the match. She kept her head down on the bed, while she continued to grip his right hand in her two. Even after an unknown amount of time passed by her, she still hadn't come up with an answer, and in her moment of frustration, the only thing that she could think of doing as a break from trying to find what may be impossible was to sing.

 _Some believe in fairy stories,_

 _And the ghost that they can't see,_

 _I know I could do so much,_

 _If I could just believe in me,_

 _Mirror, mirror, I'll tell you something,_

 _I think I might change it all,_

"A beautiful voice and a perfect song as always, Miss Schnee," Ash said in a faint and groggy voice before he even thought about opening his eyes. His right hand gripped her hands lightly as if to prevent her from getting away. She looked up and found him smiling and looking at her with half opened eyes, indicating his complete lack of energy. For a moment, Weiss was stunned, only able to grip his hand in return. "Using your semblance to that extent, just how reckless can you be? If I remember correctly, you weren't able to summon anything like your sister three months ago. You've given it your all, but why?"

"I wanted to beat you. I was willing to do anything it took, even if I ended up trying to kill you, then so be it," the heiress said as she looked away ashamed for even planning on possibly killing him. Ash only laughed lightly, with his whole body seemingly trying to destroy him from the inside out. Weiss, however, wasn't the least bit amused at his nonchalant reaction at the confession. She glared at him and dug her nails into the skin of his hand to stop him from laughing. "How are you so calm about all this? Does your life really mean nothing to you? I didn't care how injured you'd end up as long as I won, don't you understand that?"

"Of course I knew you'd try to kill me, but I also trusted that you'd stop before you're able to," he replied with the same playful smile she'd gotten used to, though his drowsiness was persistent and stayed no matter what he did to get rid of it. That smile of his, however, disappeared faster than it appeared, as he was forced to acknowledge something he'd been trying to repress, and it started with a short and rather bitter laugh. "Though I ended up winning in the end. I'd been awake for a long while now, Miss Schnee. I'd heard enough of Miss Rose's explanation to understand what happened. Therefore, I beg of you listen to my compromise."

"Compromise? Ash, you won. What compromise could you—" Weiss began, only to be interrupted by Ash almost immediately when he gripped her hands tighter, causing her a bit of pain.

"I will go to Professor Ozpin right now and ask him to delay the Bullhead, and in return, please allow me to be your servant once again, even if it's only until tomorrow morning," Weiss was confused by his so called compromise, only able to find the factors to be in her favor. Other than being able to spend more time with them all, Ash had nothing to gain from it at all, at least none that she could see. If all he wanted were to spend more time with them, then why would he request specifically to be her servant again? "Please, Miss Schnee. Allow me this little bit of peace, and a little bit more time before you forget me."

"Then why not just ask me to disregard the deal? If you don't want me to forget you, then why only until tomorrow morning instead?" Ash pulled his hand out of her grip and pushed himself out of the bed before kneeling in front of Weiss like he'd done so many times before. He said nothing and did nothing else, acting like an obedient servant waiting for his mistress to order him before he acts. "Ash, what do you really want? From me and from everyone else?"

"From everyone else, I want them to remember me as I have always been, but from you, Miss Schnee, I want the opposite," he answered without doing so much as looking up at her, much to Weiss' annoyance and despair. For a moment, before he continued, Weiss was taken by surprise, confusion, and regret. She was the one who came up with the idea to add a deal to their duel and now she was paying the prize for it, with the only thought going through her head being: what was the difference between her and everyone else. "I want you to forget who I'd been throughout our time together. I do not want you to think of me as someone who used to be your servant."

"And yet you're asking to be my servant again, even if it's only for twelve or so hours," Weiss retaliated, slightly glaring at him as she, once more, walked up to him and tried to get him to stand back up, and like before, Ash resisted, keeping his knee planted on the ground no matter how hard she tried. Eventually, Weiss relented, leaving him alone on the ground. "Ash Valentine, you've done nothing but cause me confusion. Make some sense for once and explain."

"Miss Schnee, do you remember what my mother's message to me was?" he said as he got up, earning him a rather annoyed groan from Weiss as she rolled her eyes, thinking that he's trying his best to avoid her request, but gave him a nod anyway. Ash laughed lightly at her reaction, nearly causing Weiss to hit him as he tested her patience. "She said that I could do what the first Vargas couldn't do. Very few dragons knew this but Vargas had a lover and the night he left to fight against the Grimm for the final time he promised to come back to her alive. And when he does, the two of them would marry."

For a moment, Weiss was stunned by the revelation. She'd been under the impression that the promise would be for him to come back alive only, but the added factor was something that she hadn't even considered, especially since Lava hadn't mentioned a single thing about it. However, that wasn't what her mind was currently being plagued with. It was the fact that the added factor was that of marriage, and because of it, two questions ran through her mind: was Ash thinking of marrying her? And if he were, would she accept?

"I'm not sure if I will be your happily ever after, Miss Schnee, but I'm certainly willing to try. That is if you're willing to accept," he said, trying to stop himself from laughing at her reaction, truly a princess through and through. He stepped forward once and embraced her, feeling her stiffen up for a brief moment, before relaxing, allowing her to return the embrace. "I don't expect an answer any time soon Miss Schnee. You are to forget me soon after all. Don't tell me you expected me to stay in Menagerie. Once I'm satisfied with what I've done there, I'll come back. Hopefully as a better person when I appear again before you."

"This isn't a fairy tale, you idiot!" Weiss brought a closed hand crashing against the dragon's frame, as if hoping that it'll cause some damage. Ash simply let her, able to see her frustration on the expression she wore, clearly displeased at her most recent loss. Over and over again she struck his chest with as much energy as she could muster, even going as far as striking his cheek once, but Ash did nothing in retaliation. "I'll admit it already! I love you. I'll admit it over and over again until you're satisfied. So please, Ash. Stay."

"I'm sorry, Miss Schnee," his voice was grave, solemn, and most of all, soft to the point where it bordered a whisper. It was almost as if his heart had jumped up into his throat and lodged itself there, unable to be moved no matter how hard the dragon tried. Weiss was able to hear it beep hard against his chest like it was trying to push her away from its owner. It wasn't fast like it was when it was in panic, but rather heartbreakingly slow. "I have to leave. I can only hope that you still feel the same when I return."

For another moment, there was silence between the two of them, neither wanting to disturb the other, only listening to the other breath. Someone could've walked in on them, but neither could guess if that would be enough to cause the two of them to separate. At most, they only had twelve or so hours before Ash would have to leave for Menagerie and both were determined to not let anything get in between them. And so, gathering her courage, Weiss spoke up.

"Ash Valentine, I'll accept your compromise, but it ends tonight at midnight, no longer. Then before anything else, I order you to tell me exactly how you feel about me," Weiss said with her cheeks as pink as it has ever been. She kept her forehead against his right clavicle, hiding her reddening face from his view to ensure that he doesn't get the urge to tease her. She could feel his chest moving up and down as he laughed lightly at the first order she'd given in a long while. "You're my servant again aren't you? Tell me."

"I love you more than I ever should, Miss Schnee," he confessed, reaching a hand up to caress the back of her head, tangling his index finger around her silky smooth, white hair. Both laughed at the phrase, slightly altered from the one he'd used many times before, though Weiss relented that it was still the way she wanted him to. "I love you more than you could possibly ever know, more than I could possibly ever convey into words."

"Then show me instead," she removed her head off of him and looked up with her eyes closed, telling Ash exactly what she meant. In a moment, he'd captured her lips with his, causing Weiss to moan let out a small moan every now and then whenever she heard a set of footsteps outside in the hall. They pulled back with glazed eyes and reddening cheeks, fighting back the urge to go for another. "Servants aren't supposed to lay their hands on their mistress like the way you just did. Ash, can I order you to stay here with me, instead of going to Menagerie?"

"You know the answer to that, Miss Schnee," he replied with a solemn tone, though the glaze in his eyes was still present. Weiss put her head down slightly until her forehead hit his body, disappointed with his answer and at the slight hope she had that the answer would be the opposite. Ash could feel his heart beating faster and he knew that Weiss could hear it beating against her ear. "I promise to return to you as soon as I possibly can, so please don't force my will to falter now."

"I order you, to call me by my given name, even if you are my servant," she said, figuring that it was now her turn to ignore his statement, even though the fact that she was causing him to falter enough to possibly change his mind was enough for her to take full pride in. She had to wonder how it would look like from an outsider's point of view, mistress and servant in an embrace after a kiss. How would her sister feel about it? Her brother? Her father? Her mother? "I order you to never call me 'Miss Schnee' ever again. Especially after you've done something so indecent to me."

"I was simply following your orders," Ash tried to argue, even though he knew it was a weak argument and that it was one that the heiress had already won. Weiss looked up at him with scrutinizing eyes and a small one-sided smirk.

"Don't you dare pretend, Valentine, I felt your lips part further for a moment there," she teased, somehow feeling like playing with her latest captured prey like Yang would with hers. Her heart hammered against her chest rapidly like a jackhammer, but there was no way she'd ever let an opportunity like this to escape her grasp. "You wanted to push your tongue out and defile me with it didn't you, you lustful dragon?"

The two of them shared a laugh and let each other free from their embrace, allowing them to fix their appearance for anything out of the ordinary before exiting the infirmary. With the sun already in the process of setting, the two of them could guess that everyone was either in the cafeteria, eating their dinner or already in their dorm rooms, resting and getting ready to go to sleep, or are currently walking around Beacon's perimeter for some reason or another, explaining the quiet and empty halls. Their footsteps echoed in throughout the long hallways as they made their way to the cafeteria, hopefully joining their friends.

Weiss and Ash stood side by side though kept at least a half a foot in distance between them, barely saying anything, only savoring the time they have together for whatever it's worth with the heiress needing to try her best to forget it all soon after. Every now and then, one of them would bump the other's shoulder and an awkward silence would be created between them, only to be cleared up by comforting the other by holding their hand for a brief moment. They would share some stories with each other as they walked slowly, and laugh at others before reaching their destination.

The cafeteria was filled with near endless students, all talking amongst each other in their circle of friends and eating from time to time. When Weiss and Ash entered the large room, all conversations and other activities stopped in their tracks, causing the smallest noise to echo. Awkwardly, heiress and dragon made their way to their friends, becoming increasingly aware of the eyes on them. Ruby moved over in her seat for Weiss to join them, while Jaune moved on the other side to allow Ash to sit next to them. At an adjacent table, Teams LAVA and CFVY were watching them get settled in before standing up and making their way to the table, mostly done eating anyway.

For a moment, they all sat awkwardly with anyone hardly saying anything, a silence that Ash was glad to get rid of when he stood up to get both him and the heiress some food. While he was away, Weiss let out a sigh and quietly glared at those who were staring at her expectantly, which was more or less everyone. Only a few teams were unfazed by her glare, while the others, mainly her friends, were now more interested, staring at her with a smile.

"What is the matter with all of you? With everyone?" she asked, pushing away Ruby and Lava when they nudged her with either shoulder or wing. She took a look around once more, and found that those who weren't looking at her were looking over to Ash's direction with an expression of mixed curiosity, interest, and eagerness, though many of those people also had a cautious glint in their eyes. "Why does it seem like everyone has suddenly taken a large interest in Ash?"

"Aww, are you jealous Weiss?" Yang teased, bumping her sister on the shoulder, which in turn forced the opposite shoulder to bump against the heiress'. She had a large grin on her face, stretching from ear to ear while she looked at Weiss with scrutinizing eyes, watching her for any strange changes in movement, no matter how small. Weiss returned her teasing look with an intense glare, trying her best to avoid the topic. Yang just shook her head once and relented. "I'm sure it's pretty different since you were so close to it, but when Ash hit the ground when you guys were fighting, all of Beacon shook. People are just curious about the person who did it."

"Now is that a bad thing or a good thing?" Weiss asked slowly and in a cautious tone of voice, earning her another teasing look from both Yang and Lava, but before they could playfully nudge her, Ash reappeared a little ways away, holding two trays of food: salads, fruits, a various other healthy foods, only with a larger slab of steak on one of the trays. As he walked past, Weiss could see some people pulling out their scrolls and taking slightly less discrete photos of him, mainly the female Faunus. "Before when he did the same thing, but on a lesser scale, people feared him, so why are they so interested now?"

"It's a power thing, heiress," Valora began her explanation with a small and longing smile on her features, thinking back on her fiancé. Lava rolled her eyes and shook her head despite the smile on her face. Jaune looked interested in the small girl's explanation, looking at her with shining eyes, similar to a child listening to a fairy tale. Pyrrha shook her head at her partner's strange interest in the topic, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "According to what I've been hearing around, ever since he beat the living crap of that one team the first time, the Faunus girl's have been interested, right? And now, he showed them exactly how strong he could actually be. That pretty much defines a man to them."

"Is that so?" Weiss glared at Ash with a mischievous smile, marking him as her prey, in similar way to Yang whenever she'd find some poor unfortunate soul. She wasn't really sure what happened in her mindset that forced her to be so playful, but it wasn't one that she tried to deny. Once Ash had made it to them and had placed the two trays down, Weiss grabbed him and pulled him down to her. When she kissed him, she made sure that everyone was watching her declaration. "This one is mine and mine alone!"

Just like she planned, murmurs began to echo in the large room, and those that were taking pictures were immediately struck with disappointment and went about their own business. However, as she continued to look around, savoring her success, she found her own friends with their scrolls out, utterly happy with whatever photo they took. The only one that didn't look too happy was Aaron, glaring at Ash intensely, completely stupefied by what just happened.

"What the hell!? How does he get his girl but I don't get mine?" the wolf complained completely unashamed at what he practically just yelled out loud. Lava rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed at her partner. Ash, on the other hand, merely blinked out of confusion as to what had just happened, equally confused as the wolf, though for much different reasons. "I mean, come on. Just what did he do?"

"Been with her for over a decade. Did everything she wanted. Gave her everything he could've possibly given her. Been more of a gentleman than you could ever hope to be. Saved a city and us by practically sacrificing himself," Valora listed off everything she knew in a nonchalant tone, earning her the wolf's annoyed glare. For each one she listed out, she held up a finger in front of Aaron just to annoy him further. Out of Aaron's line of sight, Ruby, Yang, Nora, Yang, Lava, and Aiden were trying to stifle their laughs. "Doesn't use cheap tactics like you. Isn't a thief like you. Better looking than you. I could keep going if you want."

"You know, for such a little twerp you really know just how to make it hurt," Aaron complained with a sigh, earning him a laugh from the small girl and his partner. He looked back at Weiss and Ash, now eating while trying to avoid any and all conversation the people around them were trying to get them to participate in, mainly about their budding romance even though they'd already seen them kiss before he left three months ago. "Well heiress, I sure hope you don't regret your decision after this. You're not going to be able to take it back anymore. Plus isn't he supposed to leave tonight?"

"Actually Mister Shader, after this I'm going to Professor Ozpin to ask him to delay the Bullhead until tomorrow morning," Ash explained after quickly swallowing whatever piece of food he was chewing on. He looked around rather curiously for a minute or so, searching every nook and cranny of the room, before speaking up again. "By the way, where is Angela? Why isn't she with you all?"

"She's actually with Miss Goodwitch," Ruby replied quickly, slightly afraid of what might happen should Ash become worried again, especially after Yang had managed to coerce Jaune into telling them exactly what happened between Ash and the elevator button. Ash looked at her and hummed before going back to eating. "Miss Goodwitch asked her if she wanted to see what else Beacon had to offer and she immediately went with her."

"Makes sense, she'd always been fascinated with Hunters and Huntresses. Anything she can do to be one is more or less her number one priority," Ash stood up with a near empty tray in his hands and disposed of it before disappearing into the kitchen, much to everyone else's confusion. It was minutes later than he actually reappeared, holding a slightly golden red drink in his right hand. He placed it down in front of Yang with a smile. "The fifth and final day, Miss Xiao Long. I apologize for the wait. Though it lacks a small umbrella, I hope it's to your satisfaction."

Yang blinked at him once before remembering the deal they made nearly six months ago when he first came to Beacon. She immediately grabbed the drink and took a long sip, savoring the taste after having had to wait for so long. She mewled in joy as she re-placed the drink back on the table. Before anyone could react, Yang stood up and pulled the male dragon close to her and gave him a kiss on the cheek despite being in plain view of Weiss and everyone else. Yang sat back down and continued to enjoy the drink in front of her, ignoring the glare from her white-haired teammate.

"Miss Rose, Miss Belladonna. Yours will have to wait until tomorrow morning, so please wait patiently till then," Ash soon exited the cafeteria alone, headed over to the direction of the headmaster's office. Weiss could only watch him walk away, as something in her mind, in a whisper, reminded her than soon she'd have to watch him leave again, for what could possibly be the last time.

* * *

Several hours after dinner, Team RWBY sat in their dorm room barely passing the time until they eventually become tired enough to sleep. Ash never returned after he left the cafeteria, much to Weiss' disappointment and worry. What little time they had left together became pointless as half of it was spent with his not being there. Added to that, with two hours left before midnight, she might spend it already asleep. The only thing that pretty much kept her awake was the fact that if she goes to sleep now before meeting with Ash one more time, to keep her word, she'd have to ignore his departure.

Ruby and Yang were playing their fighting game, murmuring curses at each other and bragging whenever they would win. Blake was on her bed, busily devouring a book like always, though it was obvious that she was thinking of something else by the way she would flip a page every two minutes or so, whereas she would often read a full page within a minute depending on how large the book was. Weiss was absent-mindedly brushing her hair long hair, no longer held up in an off center ponytail. All of them were already in their nightwear, ready to sleep at any moment when Angela burst through the door seemingly in a panic.

"Whoa, where's the fire?" Yang asked, momentarily pausing her virtual fight with her sister to look at the young girl. Without saying a single word, Angela ran to the other side of the room and pulled the window open, letting the cold air in, but most importantly, the sound of a violin playing softly in the night sky. "Is that a violin? Who the hell is serenading at this hour?"

"Look! Over there," Angela pointed up into the sky, earning the four girl's interest, forcing them to move closer to the window and look in the direction she was pointing at. She was pointing to the roof of Beacon tower where a small figure was standing alone, smoothly moving the violin bow in his right hand across the strings of the small instrument tucked snugly between his left shoulder, hand, and cheek. "He's been playing for an hour now I think. He asked the old man in the tower for a violin and disappeared after that, I didn't think he'd climb all the way up there."

"Weiss?" Ruby called out, looking back at her partner, but only found a, more or less, empty room with the door open. She let out a sigh and jumped back up on her bed. She usually listened to a variety of music before bed, but not once had she ever listened to classical before. A smile formed on her face as she picked up the comic book she borrowed from Jaune. "Maybe classical isn't so bad every once in a while."

Weiss was running out of the academy and into the garden where she could see Ash better, and where she knew he could see her. Weiss created a glowing white glyph underneath her to attract his attention, successful as he looked at her, but kept playing nevertheless. She patiently waited for him to finish the piece, before looking up again to see him put the violin down and jump off the tall building. In a panic, Weiss created a solid glyph underneath him, slowing his fall to ensure that he doesn't get unnecessarily hurt.

Ash landed next to her and the glyph she used to slow his fall and garner his attention disappear, bathing them in the shadows of the night again. He knelt down on one knee in front of her until she gave him permission to stand again. He was no longer dressed in the formal suit like he was earlier, instead he wore a black zip up hoodie with the zipper half way up, showing her the gray shirt underneath the bulky piece of clothing. His lower half was hidden underneath a pair of jeans and black rubber shoes. To Weiss, he looked ready to leave Beacon.

"Our deal stated that should I win, you have to play the violin for me alone," she reminded him though as she looked at his smiling face, she became more increasingly aware of the time: a little less than two hours until midnight, a little less than two hours for their somewhat twisted version of Cinderella. Ash held out his hand and once she held it, he knelt down once more and kissed the back of her hand. "You have to come back soon, you understand? If you dare keep me waiting for far too long, I might end up being with Neptune."

"Then I'll have to steal you back from him," he declared with a coy smile. She laughed lightly at his declaration before they found their way into the garden pavilion, mainly guided by Ash's natural ability to see in the dark. They sat down at a metal table, keeping one hand connected to the other at all times. "Weiss, what do you think of my decision?"

"It's your dumbest decision thus far," she answered immediately, watching him flinch from the brutal honesty. He expected the answer, but actually hearing it was still something he wasn't able to fully accept. Her hand gripped his tighter, seemingly trying to punish him for the decision, but it soon loosened. They didn't dare look at each other, knowing that if they do it'd only hurt. "Ash let me ask you again. Do you really have to go? Can't you just stay here with us?"

"I'm sorry," such simple words were his answer, but it was enough. Weiss gripped his hand tighter again, as if it would keep him anchored to Beacon, forcing him to stay. Ash gathered his courage and forced her to look at his eyes, full of determination and adoration for her. He gripped her hand as well, perhaps a little too tightly, hurting her a slight bit. "I don't have anything with me right now. No wings, no social stature, no ring. However, I promise to be the best person I can be, so please... Weiss Schnee, will you marry me?"

"I will, so you better hurry up and come back to me, alright?" Weiss leaned in over the table and closed her eyes. When she felt Ash kiss her once more that day, she pretended that he was wearing a suit and she was wearing a white wedding gown, standing in front of their friends and family. It had been the sweetest kiss so far.

When Ash boarded the Bullhead that morning, Weiss was the only one that wasn't there.


	45. What Took You So Long

A little over three years had passed since Ash had left Beacon again, leaving behind everyone he's known and everything else that had made him feel secure and anchored to the world. Last anyone had seen him was the day he left, wearing nothing more than a pair of dark jeans, rubber shoes, and a black hoodie with the Schnee family crest taking up most of the back – something that many, mainly Blake and Lava, had tried to persuade him to leave it behind for obvious reasons but to no avail. Along with him, he brought Mortuus Ignis, as well as the metal bracer and the normal, black gloves. He left with his back to Beacon without ever even turning back around for one final look.

True to her word, ever since he left that day Weiss pretended that she'd never met a person named Ash Valentine, causing some to worry, most notably Ruby, Lava, and Glynda. No one but Weiss and Ash himself knew about his proposal to the heiress the night before he left, and as the day got further and further into the past along with Weiss refusing to talk about it, the desire to ask what happened that night continuously disappeared. Out of respect and slight pity for both heiress and dragon, no one had ever brought up the name 'Ash Valentine' whenever Weiss was around, almost to the point where it seemed like all of Remnant forgot about Ash.

In similar intent, Weiss and Lava were hardly seen looking at each other, much less speak to each other, for the first few months, only able to say goodbye to each other once the Vytal Festival was over that year. Both reminded the other of Ash, therefore when they said their goodbyes their tones were rather dejected and lonesome, even when Lava promised to come watch them fight in the festival.

Dealing with Glynda was a lot easier. Her usual calm and stoic demeanor allowed her to hide whatever she was feeling a lot easier and her occupation provided her with the little bit of distraction she needed to forget about Ash and so she never brought him up either by name or reference, at least for the moment. However, knowing that the person she can confidently call her adopted son is somewhere she couldn't see, somewhere she couldn't track him considering the dragon had made sure to leave his scroll behind, everyone could only guess what she was feeling; everyone, of course, with the exception of Weiss.

Weiss was by far the most confusing of them all. People couldn't understand how she was able keep her end of the deal, especially after she'd announced her absolute claim over the dragon the previous day. She kept her cold and stoic attitude at all times, even when someone would accidently mention Ash by name while she was around. She'd go stiff for a moment, sometimes even turning slightly to the direction his name was brought up, before continuing what she was doing at the time. There were times when she'd stop in front of what used to be Ash's room, thinking about going in, but continued to walk past it after a few moments of contemplation.

Nevertheless, much like Glynda continuing her teaching, Weiss continued her training though without an immediate goal like before, she trained at the same pace as her teammates. During their 40th Vytal Festival, Team RWBY had unfortunately lost against Team LAVA in the singles round, expecting to find Lava there, only to find Aaron fighting instead. It was Yang that fought against him, but due to his semblance always posing a danger to push her off the edge, he had managed to catch Yang off guard enough times to drain her Aura. Aaron ended up fighting all the way to the end, earning his team the win by the end of it all.

Though now that they were more experienced, Team RWBY were more than prepared to win the tournament this time around. Weiss was able to focus much more now that she had the time to fully accept Ash's decision to disappear, though couldn't help but allow a part of her to think of the possibility that they'd never meet again considering how long it had been. He'd promised to return to her as soon as he could, and yet three years had passed her by while she patiently waited. That part of her began to wonder what could've possibly taken him so long, and possibilities of the matter began to plague her mind: Grimm tearing into his body as he tried to save someone again, the White Fang killing him for presenting himself to be on the side of the Schnee's if they hadn't tortured and recruited him first, or it could also be possibly that he found new people to be around with maybe even someone like her.

Though now was hardly the time for her to be lost in her thoughts. She was standing in the middle of Amity Stadium's arena, surrounded by thousands of people and roughly five feet in front of Pyrrha. Both were ready for combat, ready to prove that they deserve to be the winner. It was the final match, both and their teams have fought their way to the very top, knowing that this was their last chance to win the festival. Now, they simply wait with bodies itching in anxiety for Port and Oobleck to start the match like they'd done countless of times before.

Weiss took a deep breath in an attempt to calm the jumping nerves going rampant in her body, and reached up to her chest where two pieces of jewelry end as they hung from her neck: the apple one that she'd always carried and the locket she received as a birthday gift three years prior. Though she'd always successfully resisted the urge before, it was then that she'd actually opened the locket for the first time in over three years. Staring back at her were a picture of her sister on the left and a picture of Ash on the right.

"Do you miss him?" Pyrrha asked in a soft voice almost as if she was afraid that someone other than the heiress would hear her. The question took Weiss by surprise. It had been Pyrrha that refused to bring Ash up, whether or not Weiss was in the area or not. Weiss nodded lightly once, no longer caring about her deal with Ash, at least for the moment. "It's been three years and you still haven't gotten even a single letter from him? Weiss, I don't mean to sound so pessimistic, but how do you know he's coming back?"

"Because if there's anything anyone can praise him for, it's that he always keeps his promises," Weiss wore a smile throughout her explanation, somewhat relieved that she could finally talk about the dragon, but also a little bit guilty that she'd technically forsook her deal with Ash for that little bit of relief. Weiss stole once last glance at her locket before closing it and allowing it to fall back down to her chest. "He'll be back Pyrrha and I'll continue to wait for him for just a little bit longer."

"I can only hope that you're right," Pyrrha looked up at the crowd around them, trying her best to not let the sheer amount of them to get her nervous. A difficult task considering how they both felt the need to win after their defeat against Team LAVA before. Over to her left, and Weiss' right, were their respective teams watching in silence for the match to start, not knowing who to cheer for. "So, are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Weiss replied with a small and slightly unsure smile. In only a minute or so, Port's voice boomed from the speakers and echoed lightly in the open domed arena.

"And it's time for the final match of the 41st Vytal Festival," the crowd replied to the professor with a roar of excited cheers and approval, making him smile even though he knew they couldn't see him in the commentator's box along with Oobleck. He looked at his students in the arena, proud of what they'd become and of what they'd managed to accomplish thus far. "We've got Pyrrha Nikos, Mistral's regional champion four years in a row, now representing Beacon for Team JNPR."

"And her opponent is Weiss Schnee, heiress of the Schnee Dust Company. Much like her opponent, she, as well, represents Beacon Academy for her own team, Team RWBY," Oobleck continued, barely able to contain his excitement much like the crowd in the stands. With one final check on everything, both for the people in the stadium and for those outside of it, Oobleck spoke again. "Now, in 3, 2, 1. Begin!"

Pyrrha was the one to take the initiative, hurtling her shield towards the heiress as hard as she could, guiding it slightly with her semblance. Akoúo was left whizzing past Weiss when she created a glyph to her left and used it to push herself out of the way of the shield's trajectory. As soon as the shield went past its intended target, Pyrrha used her semblance to pull her shield back to her while she ran towards the heiress' new direction.

With her right hand, Weiss spun her rapier's cylinder until the blade was set ablaze with Dust, and swung horizontally at Pyrrha. The air in front of Weiss was engulfed in Dust fire in a near perfect 90-degree cone, spreading out further, threatening to cover and engulf Pyrrha in Dust fire as well. Mistral's champion clicked her tongue in slight frustration before jumping back in an attempt to get away from the fire coming her way. As she did so, her shield had managed to come back to her, but it couldn't help save her from the white glyph behind her.

An icicle shot out from the glyph, hitting Pyrrha's back, as well as pushing her forward to be engulfed by the fire. Realizing that she'd be unable to even correct her posture, she simply curled up and braved through the fire that drained her Aura. The burning passed through her quickly, barely singeing her form, though succeeded in frustrating her due to the fact that she was forced to relinquish the first clean strike of the match to her opponent. Pyrrha looked up and saw Weiss preparing to stab her sword tip into the ground, barely paying attention to Pyrrha herself.

Once more, Akoúo was thrown and unlike before, it struck Weiss' stomach before she could create any more glyphs and attack. Weiss' body lurched over as the shield left her, pulled back by Pyrrha's semblance. It hadn't hurt her as much, only being forced to lurch over by the force of the shield's impact, but when she managed to look back up, Pyrrha was already there, bring Miló, in sword form, against' Weiss' body, forcing her onto the ground. Once more, Pyrrha tried to bring her sword down on Weiss, only to be foiled when the heiress rolled to the side and Pyrrha was met with a large white sword rising from a glyph on the ground to stab her. She immediately retracted her sword arm and placed her Akoúo between her and the tip of the illusionary sword. When the tip struck the shield, Pyrrha was forced a few feet, with her feet remaining planted on the ground, trying to their best to quickly counter against the force.

Weiss took the opportunity and ran towards Pyrrha, swiping her rapier in front of her to create three glyphs that immediately shot out a single icicle going at the same speed as Weiss was. Pyrrha raised her shield to guard against the ranged attack, even prepared to bring her sword forward should she need to deflect one instead. While the icicles distracted her, Weiss created a dark glyph just in front of her that propelled her upwards and towards the champion at a much faster rate than the icicles. Weiss was the first to get to Pyrrha, her elevated position allowing her to bypass Akoúo and strike at Pyrrha directly. Her decision to attack from the front, however, proved to be a blunder.

Pyrrha kept her shield in front of her to guard against the icicles, but raised her right arm, loosely gripping Miló's handle, enough to allow to her raised two fingers and use her semblance to redirect Weiss' rapier just to the left, leaving the champion untouched. The icicles struck the shield mere moments after, and once the third had struck, Pyrrha swung wide, turning as she did so to strike at the heiress. Weiss was able to deflect the strike by turning her rapier to the side when the two blades struck each other, but she couldn't save herself from the shield bash that followed it.

Weiss was left stumbling to the side, though more or less, unhurt by the simple push. She soon corrected herself and found Pyrrha merely standing there, waiting for her to get her balance back. Weiss stole a glance at the monitor above them, displaying their Aura levels and wasn't entirely shocked by what it read. Her own Aura level was displayed at 80 percent, while Pyrrha's was at 90. They'd only started the match therefore she hadn't expected a large decrease in either Aura level, but it did frustrate her that Pyrrha had the advantage when all she'd done was capitalize on Weiss' small mistakes and moments of carelessness.

Pyrrha, on the other hand, simply stood there with her shield in front of her and her sword slightly rose above her head with the tip pointed towards Weiss, waiting for her to make another attack that she could possibly find a flaw in and capitalize once again. She knew that Weiss held the advantage in versatility with the various colored Dust she always carried guided by her semblance. However, that doesn't entirely mean that she had the advantage in overall attack. Pyrrha held the advantage in overall defense with her semblance and overall higher stamina pool. If she could drain Weiss' stamina while maintaining her own, then it'll be her inevitable victory.

Like Pyrrha wanted, Weiss was the one to engage again. Several glyphs appeared high above Pyrrha, but due to the near blinding lights above them, the glowing glyphs seemed nearly invisible. From the glyphs, several more icicles shot out from the middle and flew towards Pyrrha. Unable to even see the attack, every single icicle crashed against Pyrrha's body, leaving her yelping in pain as each icicle shattered upon her body. Once more, Weiss tried to stab Myrtenaster into the ground, successful this time around as Pyrrha was still staggering from the surprise attack. A line of ice began running across the floor starting from Myrtenaster's tip and towards Pyrrha, only to grow larger moments before it got to her, encasing most of her body in ice.

Struggle as she might, Pyrrha was left stuck in the pillar of ice. They both knew that something as simple as rendering the other unable to fight like Weiss had done, isn't something that would end the match, so it was only a matter of what would happen first: Weiss attacking again, enough to break Pyrrha out of the pillar of ice, or Pyrrha breaking out herself. A question that was almost immediately answered when Weiss took her rapier out of the ground and created a blazing red glyph underneath the pillar of ice, creating yet another pillar but this one of flame. Pyrrha screamed in pain as she was lit ablaze, forced to watch the flame rapidly rise from the ground.

When the pillar of fire disappeared, Pyrrha fell to her knees, nearly falling completely over if she hadn't stabbed her sword into the ground. She was panting, trying to recover from the damage she'd just taken as fast as she possibly could before Weiss could even think about attacking again, now that her opponent is in a vulnerable state. As she recovered, Pyrrha tried to think of everything she could do to win against someone who could attack her in any and all possible angle. The only thing she could think of at the moment was to attack, keep in close so that Weiss won't be able to summon any more elemental attacks without risking the possibility of hitting herself.

Pyrrha pushed herself to her feet, though rather unsteadily, and faced Weiss. The heiress had a dark purple glyph behind her, simply allowing the imagery within it spin like a clock. Weiss jumped up and planted both feet at the center of the glyph. Using both her own strength and the gravity Dust infused within the glyph, Weiss propelled herself towards Pyrrha, rapier thrust forward for a stab. Still slightly staggered, Pyrrha was forced to allow the thin blade to glide across her side. As Weiss' momentum disappeared, she placed another dark purple glyph beneath her feet and once more pushed off towards Pyrrha, gliding past her like before, only to place another a similar glyph in the air ahead of her to for another pass. Although, unlike her two previous attempts, Pyrrha had recovered enough to not only redirect the rapier slightly enough to miss her, but also slam her shield against Weiss, using her own momentum against her.

Weiss stumbled back a few steps, a little dizzy and with ten less percentage in her Aura level, but more or less all right. Pyrrha, however, won't let such an opportunity to go to waste. The moment she was able to, she rushed the heiress, first turning Miló into a javelin before slamming the bladed end against Weiss' side. Weiss stumbled to side a little further back, only to catch the Akoúo's edge on her stomach again. Pyrrha pulled her shield back as Weiss, once more, lurched over and clutched her stomach in pain.

Pyrrha would wait long to let her opponent rest and recover from the damage before she attacked again. As soon as Akoúo was back in her left hand, Pyrrha rushed Weiss, turning her weapon back into its sword form in an attempt to keep the fight as close quarters as she could possibly have it. A quick downward slice across Weiss' body started Pyrrha's attack, followed by forcing her shield's edge horizontally across the heiress' stomach as she spun counterclockwise in an attempt to keep what little bit of momentum was in her first attack. Pyrrha kept her attacks light, quick, and efficient, able to get to their intended target of impact before Weiss could even react to them. Miló took on the form of a javelin once more and the champion crouched down, swiping the long handle against the heiress' legs, knocking her down on her stomach.

Pyrrha looked up for a moment, checking their Aura levels and was happy at the progress she'd made. While her Aura level was certainly lower than she would've wanted, considering who her opponent was, she couldn't complain much at the numbers displayed. Her Aura remained at 50 percent, but Weiss was now at 23 percent. A single decent blow would drain Weiss' Aura level below the critical level, a simple enough task considering her current advantage. A glowing just in front of her brought her attention back to the fight.

Weiss was on one knee, panting, and overall recovering from the damage she'd just taken. There were four glyphs in between the two of them, with four swords spinning clockwise inside each of them. In another moment, four Beowolves materialized and stood up from the glyphs, causing many in the crowd to panic and possibly many more who were watching from elsewhere. All four Grimm roared at Pyrrha as she readied herself again for combat.

"No one panic. For those that may have forgotten to tune in two years ago, this is simply the Schnee family semblance," Port began to explain, smiling at how easily Weiss was now able to use her semblance much like her sister, compared to the first time she'd used it three years ago. Only some heeded his explanation, however, most were still unable to calm down at the sudden sight of Grimm in what was supposed to be one of the safest places in all of Remnant. "Most born in the Schnee family tree are able to summon any foe they'd managed to defeat beforehand to help them in any fight. Though it's such a useful semblance, it is difficult to control without proper training. Miss Schnee has trained this specific skill three years ago to combat… someone else… but it very quickly became her most powerful tool in any fight."

There were many that took note of the professor's moment of hesitation, but passed it off as nothing more than either him taking a breath after talking for so long, or him stopping to read something in front of him, checking to see whether or not he had the right information. Those that do know what had actually happened, were silenced from their cheering and looked towards Weiss with a mixture of worry and slight pity, silently hoping that Weiss hadn't heard it, no matter how small the chance had been. Weiss did hear, unfortunately, but with the Beowolves already summoned, it didn't do much to distract her for the moment.

Weiss stood up and with one swipe of her weapon, she sent the four Beowolves towards Pyrrha. She knew that the small pack will only serve to buy her some time to recover, but as it stands it was exactly what she needed. She watched Pyrrha dodge and slice at the Beowolves, none of them barely even able to touch her. It was more like a cat playing with a mouse when it already knew it has won. As Pyrrha began to dispatch the Beowolves one by one, Weiss took a deep breath and concentrated. No amount of Grimm could ever hold a candle to Pyrrha, they were simply too mindless, even with someone telling them what to do, they were more likely to be driven by instinct in a battle.

Once again, Myrtenaster was stabbed into the ground and another glyph appeared, one larger and brighter than the rest, just in front of Weiss, and mere moments later, a humanoid figure came out of it. A suit of armor rose from the glyph, first kneeling down on its left knee, and steadying itself with its right hand gripping the handle of a large sword, leaving the tip in the ground. It stood roughly fifteen feet tall, when it rose to its feet, easily towering over both combatants, leaving many of the spectators in awe, immediately disregarding the fact that it was a possession type Grimm. Covered in space gray metal armor, it looked to Pyrrha behind shadowy visor before running to her, causing the arena to shake slightly with each bound.

It raised its sword high above his head and gripped it with both hands before bringing it down on the champion. Out of instinct, Pyrrha raised her right hand and activated her semblance in an attempt to redirect the blade's trajectory, but as it was made out from a semblance and made of pure white ice, the attempt hadn't moved it a centimeter. The blade did miss her, however, instead hitting the ground in between her and whatever was left of the small pack of Beowolves. Though that didn't mean that she was left unscathed. The single swing shook the arena harder than its footsteps as well as fracturing it at the point of impact, sending fragments towards Pyrrha and the Beowolves. The Beowolves disappeared as soon as their bodies were filled with at least a dozen shards, while Pyrrha suffered the same amount of shards, if not more, and was blown back due to the force exerted alone.

Once more, cheering echoed throughout the stadium, applauding Weiss for fighting even harder even at the current disadvantageous situation in Aura level. Even as Pyrrha began to focus her attention on the knight and Weiss simply remained idle to the side and continued to recover, the cheers from the crowd was for her and her alone. Sure, now she could summon the entire knight whereas she could only summon a single limb years ago, but it still left her mentally drained, albeit rather slightly, if she was forced to suddenly bring it out in a moment's notice. Luckily though, it proved to be far stronger and tougher than anything else she could summon, leaving her a good amount of time to recover from the drawbacks.

Weiss watched the knight fight, being forced to remember Ash as it fought. Pyrrha threw her shield towards the knight, only for it to be swatted aside with its armored left arm, forearm and all. In return, the knight brought its sword forward, slicing at its far smaller opponent horizontally, but continued to spin until it faced her again to bring its right fist where Pyrrha was standing. Pyrrha jumped out of its way, retrieving her shield as she did so. The knight may boast its power and size, but speed was something it didn't have, making it easy to dodge to someone like Pyrrha.

As she dodged another of the knight's attacks, Pyrrha was unable to see Weiss come in from the side and thrust her rapier against the champion's side, trying to plunge it through what little bit of armor she wore as well as her Aura. The small attack stopped all of Pyrrha's momentum, allowing the knight to slam an armored left fist against her entire body. Pyrrha was pushed near the arena's edge, simply lying down on her side, momentarily unresponsive. The knight walked alongside Weiss as she made her way towards her downed opponent, stopping when they were eight feet from Pyrrha.

Weiss raised her rapier into the air and the knight mimicked her movements, with the only clear difference is that the knight raised its right arm instead of its left. When Weiss brought her rapier down to slice the air in front of her, the knight did the same, but it was that unguarded attack that Pyrrha was hoping for. With a little bit of slight of hand, Pyrrha pushed her left hand out and activated her semblance. She may not have been able to manipulate the knight's sword, but she was able to push and pull Myrtenaster. The rapier was pulled towards Pyrrha, and in her moment of shock, Weiss was unable to comprehend what the champion had planned fast enough to let the weapon go. Before she knew it, she was pulled forward a few feet, and in the way of the giant blade.

With Pyrrha's semblance refusing to let go of her blade, Weiss maneuvered her body to go under the blade and once more spun the cylinder until a thin layer of red light covered the thin blade. The moment the large illusionary blade made contact with the smaller weapon, it was immediately thrown back along with the knight's right arm, causing the entire armor to stagger back a few steps. Pyrrha kicked Weiss away as soon as she was sure that they both were clear of the knight's reach, pushing herself towards the middle of the arena, not wanting to be eliminated due to such a disappointing defeat as being pushed out of bounds. Weiss recovered quickly, with Pyrrha's kick only serving as nothing more than a push rather than an actual attack. She and the knight soon stood by each other again, facing their opponent for yet another clash.

If either of them had looked up at the monitor, they would've noticed that Weiss was left with 19 percent and Pyrrha now only had 30 percent, a small amount of progress made in numerical value but significant nonetheless in their match. Neither of them knew it at the time, but it would be their final clash. The crowd's cheering grew louder, trying to inspire both of them to continue to fight their hardest even in the final few moments. Even their teams were now cheering for the both of them, more excited about the fight now rather than the actual winner of the tournament.

Weiss was the first to charge forward, soon followed by the knight then even sooner after that, Pyrrha. The knight's footsteps shook the arena again, keeping the two girls slightly unbalanced as they ran towards each other. Once again, Pyrrha remained on the defensive, planning on allowing Weiss to make the first mistake so that she can capitalize on it, especially with the large knight still in play. She kept Miló in its sword form, realizing that bullets would be unfavorable in the situation, and a javelin would be easy to bypass due to its length.

The knight moved faster than Weiss for the last few steps, swinging its sword down on the champion; an attack that was easy for Pyrrha to read. In response, Pyrrha raised her shield high and prepared herself for a heavy blow, but it never came, even the clinking of the armor pieces seemed to have disappeared. When her curiosity overtook her, Pyrrha lowered her shield and looked at where the knight was supposed to be, only able to find a white mist quickly dissipating in the air. Her confusion had taken away her focus on the match and with it, her guard. Weiss was easily able to make several small but quick slices at her opponent, draining some much-needed Aura to even out the fight.

Pyrrha's focus immediately came back and two were locked in a desperate fight for one clean hit, however, the fact of the knight's disappearance began to gnaw at Pyrrha's mind. The entire time, as she met each of Weiss' strikes with one of her own or with her shield, she couldn't help but wonder why Weiss had forced it to disappear, taking away one of her most crucial advantages in their match. Pyrrha was more focused on standing her ground against Weiss, while Weiss mainly focused on dancing around the champion attacking from every single angle using her own agility and her semblance.

Such excessive movement was exactly what Pyrrha was after, forcing Weiss to drain her limited stamina for a free attack. Weiss disengaged from her attack attempts jumping back several leaps, only to place a golden glyph on the ground with the complex inner workings of a clock tower as the imagery. Weiss stood in the middle of it all, seemingly absorbing the light coming from the glyph until the glyph had fully disappeared. With one small hand movement, Weiss created a dozen glyphs around Pyrrha and began to pepper her with icicles from every single angle possible. Weiss created another glyph behind her, using it to propel her towards the champion.

Weiss created more glyphs around Pyrrha, but unlike the others, none of them created projectiles to shoot at the champion. Instead, when Weiss clashed with Pyrrha only to be deflected to the side, Weiss used the glyph that's already there to go for another thrust one after another, moving faster as she used another glyph, forcing Pyrrha to try and move faster as well. With each failed attack, the glyph Weiss used disappeared until only one remained, the one directly in front of her. Knowing where the heiress was headed to next, Pyrrha preemptively attacked the glyph in front of her, only to fall to her knees when something ice cold struck the back of her right knee and heel. She looked back and saw the remnants of a shattered icicle disappearing into the air, before she felt another icicle strike the inside of her shield, pushing out of her grasp.

Like Pyrrha expected, Weiss stood in between her and the last remaining glyph, ready to strike. Pyrrha used her semblance to retrieve her shield again, but was interrupted when yet another icicle struck the flat side of her blade, pushing that away from her grasp as well. Weiss pushed herself off of the glyph as well as using the gravity Dust in it to move her faster than she could possibly muster on her own. Myrtenaster sliced at Pyrrha, before another glyph appeared beneath her, exploding in a burst of ice that pushed her into the air. The attack hadn't hurt as much as she'd initially thought, it, in fact, helped her get both Miló and Akoúo in her sights to pull them both back to her, however, as she extended her hands towards her gear, four small lights latched themselves to her wrists and ankles, keeping her trapped and immobilized in the air.

Weiss moved quickly, getting above Pyrrha and placed one last glyph behind her. She spun the cylinder one last time, until the blade was covered in a white glow, illuminating the near hidden scriptures on the side of the blade. To Weiss, the world had become silent, and she seemed to have been near unconsciousness, simply trusting her blade to guide her hand for one last attack. She closed her eyes and felt resistance at the tip of Myrtenaster, and when she opened her eyes again, she was kneeling on the ground with Myrtenaster at her side, still glowing a blinding white. Moments later, she heard the cheering again, much louder than ever, as well as triumphant trumpets singing their song. She looked up at the monitor above them and found her picture taking up nearly most of the screen, with the word 'WINNER' written underneath.

She looked behind her and found Pyrrha lying down on her back, not moving a single muscle, save for her chest, heaving up and down as she breathed slowly. Weiss made her way to her downed friend and with Myrtenaster now hanging at her hip, extended an arm to help her up. Pyrrha smiled at her and accepted, allowing the heiress to pull her back up to her feet.

"That doesn't look like the face of a winner," Pyrrha commented as she used whatever was left of her Aura to retrieve her gear without leaving Weiss' side. For a moment, Weiss was unable to comprehend exactly what her friend had just said, but when she finally did, the look of shock on her face was enough to cause Pyrrha to laugh. "Yes, Weiss. You're the winner. You've won the 41st Vytal Festival. Congratulations."

"After a hard fought battle in the teams, doubles, and now the singles rounds, Weiss Schnee, Team RWBY, is crowned the winner," Oobleck announced loud and clear for everyone to hear despite the near deafening cheers of the crowd. The rest of Teams RWBY and JNPR soon joined their teammates in the arena, congratulating the two on their fight and Weiss for the winner. "And now, to present Team RWBY with their trophy, is the leader of last festival's winner, Lava Valentine."

As if on cue, Lava entered the arena dressed as if she was ready for battle and with her sword hanging by her left hip. Her wings remained as daunting as ever even when they were fully folded. In her hands, she carefully carried a small gold trophy with the statuette of a Hunter holding a sword up, pointing at the heavens as if to challenge it and on the base were the words '41st Vytal Festival.' However, it wasn't the trophy that caught everyone's attention, it wasn't even Lava. It was Ash Valentine, walking up to the ring alongside her with a bouquet wrapped together at the stem with a magnolia white wrap.

He wore a smile on his face, nearly laughing at the expressions of both teams, a combination of shock and awe. His chest and abdomen was covered in a black, skin tight, sleeveless shirt with red lines on the edges of the fabric. The shirt had a zipper, mimicking that of a jacket, which was zipped up all the way to his neck, ending in a sort of choker. His arms were out for the world to see save two thin lines of cloth on each arm, one around his upper arms and one around his forearms. His lower half was covered in dark jeans with similar red lines running across the edges of his pockets and down the sides. It was long enough to hide the top of jet-black rubber shoes. His hands, usually in gloves, were out in the open, scarred palm and all. And behind him were large pairs of wings, similar to his sister's but obviously larger and was silver in color instead of the same tint as his black stumps.

"And joining her today is her younger brother, Ash Valentine," Port continued, smiling at his colleague, knowing that their hidden surprise had been worth the wait. "He was once a student at Beacon, but left in pursuit of other things three years ago."

When Lava and Ash got to the ring, Lava gave Weiss the trophy only for her to hand it to Ruby, who accepted it without a second thought, and without taking her eyes away from the male dragon. Ash was next, handing over the bouquet he was carrying to Weiss.

"Congratulation on your victo—" he began to say, only to be interrupted when Weiss delivered a stinging slap across his right cheek, successfully silencing the crowd of their cheering, ensuring that whatever they say at the arena would echo in the stadium. When Ash turned back to her, she had anger seeping from her eyes and her right hand's grip on the bouquet tightened.

"What took you so long?" she asked, completely forgetting the fact that she was supposed to have never even met him before due to their deal, though Ash didn't seem to mind. The dragon only smiled, trying desperately to hold back a laugh. Once more, Weiss raised her left hand and brought it across Ash's right cheek. Her actions there could've sparked the White Fang's counterattack after their failure at Mountain Glenn, but she didn't care. All she cared about was to vent out the anger rising in her chest. "You promised you'd be back soon. Soon does not mean three years!"

"I'm sorry, but things turned rather complicated the moment I stepped foot on Menagerie," Ash reached into his pocket and pulled out a very worn out pair of black gloves. He handed them to Weiss, who examined it as carefully as she possibly could. There were numerous frayed strands coming off of the fingers, and the palm was ripped to shreds. "Wearing the Schnee family symbol on my back when entering the island turned out to be one of the worst decisions I've made so far. Not only was I thought to be as human, but also an enemy to the whole island. Simply securing a place to sleep was a difficult task on its own."

"My parents are in Menagerie, you could've given them my name and they definitely would've helped you," Blake commented, though relented the fact that not only was it too late for her to say such a thing, but it had also been a topic she'd failed to mention before.

"I tried to remain as scarce as possible," Ash continued, taking back one of the gloves from Weiss. He thumbed each hole and each frayed strand before continuing, still able to find some comfort in the feel of it despite its near ruined state. "Besides, I eventually managed to get by day by day like I'd done before. I did some odd jobs here and there and even stole some of the Hunter's Association's request board to train and get some lien. It was only small hunting jobs though, that's why it took me so long to finally get this."

He reached into his pocket once more and pulled a small velvet box. Weiss dropped the bouquet as Ash dropped to one knee. Whistles and cheers once more erupted as everyone took a step away from Weiss and Ash, giving them room to maneuver.

"I know I've already asked this, but once again, Weiss Schnee, will you marry me?" Ash opened the velvet box and revealed the ring tucked safely inside; a silver ring with a single square diamond facing Weiss, reflecting her image multiple times within itself. Weiss nodded once and extended her left hand slightly towards him. Ash slipped the ring onto her ring finger and stood up, embracing his, now, fiancée. When the two leaned in to kiss, Ash stopped for a very brief moment and moved his wings to cover the two of them. When he moved his wings again, he smiled victoriously at those around him. "Oh yes, these are for more than just aesthetics."

Ash picked up Weiss and spread his wings as wide as possible. With a single beat of his wings, the two of them were propelled high into the air. He gave the commentator's box a single nod and saw the force field around the stadium flicker off in a small electricity surge for a moment, enough for him to beat his wings again and go through the open dome and into the open cerulean sky. For the first time in a very long while, he felt free, and now that he was able to sore through the skies again, he wasn't alone.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading everyone! I know that it took a long time to finish and there were quite a bit of mistakes, mainly grammar, and that it was rather off and on, but I just want to say that I really enjoyed this journey. I can pretty much guarantee that I will never be able to stop smiling every time I come back to this in the future. Something that I started just for the hell of it turned into something like this. Thank you to those who reviewed, favorited, followed, PM-ed, even just read. You guys definitely made my day everyday.**


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